House To Vote on Two Immigration Reform Bills

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote this week on two immigration reform bills as the number of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border surges. The first bill, the Dream and Promise Act (DPA), would provide a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. The second bill, the Farm Modernization Workforce Act (FMWA), would provide legal status to farm workers and streamline the H-2A visa application process. These bills will be the first immigration reform bills taken up by Congress this year. Both of the individual bills passed the House last Congress, but were not voted on in the Senate. Each bill would likely need 60 votes to overcome a potential filibuster in the Senate. The bills received coverage across the political spectrum. Outlets from all sides analyzed the likelihood of the bills becoming law, and highlighted opposition by Republican lawmakers, including senators Dick Durbin, Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton.