Democrats Renew Push to Protect DACA, Undocumented Immigrants in Next Coronavirus Relief

Senate Democrats are rekindling an endeavor to include protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, a portion of whom are health care workers on the frontline of the pandemic, in future coronavirus relief legislation.

“They risk their families’ health to keep us safe,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. “Now is the time more than ever that we need to stand with them and protect them during these awful times.”

The safeguards would come in the form of work authorization extensions for more than 202,000 recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Admissions (DACA) and roughly 130,000 Temporary Protective Status (TPS) holders who are essential workers. DACA shields roughly 700,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation who were brought to the United States as children while TPS allows about 317,000 people from 10 countries temporary protections because it’s unsafe for them to return.

Amid the public health emergency, Democrats have repeatedly called on President Donald Trump to extend work authorizations, citing a renewal application backlog and increased difficulty in obtaining the required information to submit them under stay-at-home orders. The Democratic lawmakers have also tried—and failed—in the face of opposition from Republicans and the administration to pass these protections at the legislative level.

The uphill political battle comes in the aftermath of Democrats’ unsuccessful attempt to include them in the $2.3 trillion stimulus passed by Congress last month. Schumer argued they have more leverage this time around, thanks to the virus demonstrating just how “vital” tens of thousands of immigrant health care workers are to combat the illness.

“I think it’s showing America how much we need these folks to fight the crisis, and I think that will help us win new support,” Schumer said.

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