Over the past few months, Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM) has been monitoring developments in the Senate on immigration reform. Senate Bill 744 takes significant steps towards creating an inclusive roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million aspiring citizens, family unity, and worker protections for both immigrants to the United States and migrant workers who come on temporary work visas. The immigration reform bill also includes critical anti-trafficking protections for internationally recruited workers, an important step in ensuring the labor rights of all temporary workers who come to the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas.
Late last week, the Senate “Gang of Eight” agreed to bring to a vote Senator Leahy’s package amendment 1183 which includes the Corker-Hoeven agreement to S. 744. The Corker-Hoeven agreement calls for a near doubling of the number of border patrol agents along the southern border, the increased use of drone surveillance, and a vast expansion of the border fence. In the past, similar efforts to militarize the border have made migration to the U.S. more dangerous.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the motion for cloture for this amendment, which is essentially a revised bill, today, June 24, at 5:30 PM.