U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has proposed legislation that would give a path to citizenship for families separated by President Trump’s zero-tolerance policy. The bill has limited support from Republicans, but Blumenthal hopes it can be folded into a larger compromise.
The bill is only four pages long and sparse on details. It would allow families separated by the Department of Homeland Security to apply free of charge for a green card. This runs contrary to Trump’s stated aim of separating families, which was to discourage people from applying for asylum.
Blumenthal acknowledges he doesn’t have the votes necessary to even pass the bill, much less a two-thirds majority needed to override a possible presidential veto. But he points to a number of negotiations taking place in Washington over immigration reform.
“Border security, Dreamers, a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented people working and paying taxes in this country. So this measure could pass separately or together with comprehensive immigration reform,” Blumenthal said.
A federal court ruled that Trump’s zero-tolerance policy, which separated at least 2,700 families last summer, violated the Constitution. An inspector general report issued last month found that the number of families separated could be far higher.
