Sen. Jeff Flake’s latest attempt to pass DACA extension gets rejected

PHOENIX — A fourth attempt on the U.S. Senate floor by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) to immediately pass a bipartisan bill that provides a temporary, “far from perfect” fix for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was blocked by an objection Thursday.

The “three-for-three” proposal, introduced in February with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), would extend protection from potential deportation to DACA recipients for three years and provide $7.6 billion for three years of border security.

“I’m first to admit that this solution is far from perfect,” Flake told the Senate. “We need to do a lot of other aspects with immigration reform. We need to address long-term labor needs as well as a more permanent solution for those who are here illegally, who weren’t brought across the border as children.

“But this is a compromise that can pass.”

Flake, who is leaving office after his term ends early next year, previously asked the Senate to pass the legislation twice in March and once in April. He vowed to continue pushing for the bill.

DACA is a program implemented during Barack Obama’s administration that allows young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, often known as “Dreamers,” to remain in the country.

“It’s not their fault they were brought here this way, but they are for all intents and purposes American — everything without the papers.”

President Donald Trump announced last year he would phase out the program, but that action has been delayed while facing numerous legal hurdles.

Judges in California and New York have ruled that the Trump administration must allow current DACA participants to renew their enrollments, but the government doesn’t have to process new applications. A ruling by a judge in the District of Columbia would require the government to also process new applications, but it has been put on hold until late July.

While these lawsuits challenged Trump’s decision to wind down DACA, a lawsuit filed in Texas last week by Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina and West Virginia aims to end it. The states argue the creation of the program was unlawful, an overreach by President Barack Obama, a conclusion the Trump administration agrees with.

The legal cases would be superseded if Congress passes legislation that protects DACA recipients.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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