Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott is reportedly preparing to introduce a bill that would increase protection against deportation for millions of illegal immigrants in exchange for billions of dollars in border wall funding.
The bill, called the Secure Border and Protect DACA Act of 2021, would protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigrants from deportation by creating two five-year periods of “conditional permanent resident” status, according to a summary of the bill obtained by reporter Ryan Girdusky.
SCOOP: During a humanitarian crisis on the border w/ 100k+ migrants crossing every month, @SenRickScott is preparing to unveil a DACA Amnesty.
The plan would put millions of illegal aliens on a pathway to citizenship in exchange for billions of dollars for a “Border wall system” pic.twitter.com/lapxSMoqFZ
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) March 16, 2021
In order to qualify under the bill, immigrants must prove that they came to the U.S. before the age of 16, have lived in the U.S. continuously since June 15, 2012, pass several background checks, demonstrate “good moral character” and earn a high school diploma, according to the summary Gidursky obtained.
Immigrants can “demonstrate an intent to join the U.S. military,” be admitted to higher education, or choose the worker path instead of earning a high school diploma if they choose, according to the text of the bill. (RELATED: Trump Deal? President Expected To Offer DACA Fix In Exchange For Wall Money)
In exchange for DACA protections, the bill stipulates that $20 billion be sent to fund the border wall and millions more be sent to fund other border enforcement measures. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would receive $543 million to fund a total of 4,636 positions and Customs and Border Protection would receive $277 million to fund various positions. A total of $300 million would be given to the Department of Justice Immigration Judge Teams and would fund 100 of these teams each year in 2022 and 2023.
The legislation would direct ICE to prioritize enforcing immigration laws inside the U.S. and identifying, detaining, and removing illegal immigrants “who pose a threat to public safety.” It would also prohibit the policy of “catch and release” where illegal immigrants are released from custody shortly after being detained for violating immigration laws. (RELATED: House Preps To Pass Two Immigration Bills As Border Crisis Intensifies)
Former President Donald Trump offered a similar tradeoff in January 2019 in an attempt to end the government shutdown. His plan to fix the border crisis included three years of protection from deportation for DACA recipients and offered three years of extended protection for immigrants under Temporary Protected Status. In exchange, $5.7 billion would be allocated for the border wall and funding would be given to various agencies for additional security at the border.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preemptively shot down Trump’s proposal.
The Daily Caller contacted Scott’s office for comment and will update this piece, pending response.