WASHINGTON — Advocates have turned up the pressure on the Senate to pass legislation this year to establish a citizenship path for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, after a federal appeals court dealt yet another blow to the program that for now protects those so-called Dreamers.
But with the status quo unchanged for current recipients of the program, the ruling may still not be enough to prompt at least 10 Republican senators to strike a deal with Democrats and pass a bill in the dwindling weeks of this legislative calendar.
The program, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, for years has faced political and legal challenges that threatened to end it. But court rulings, including a decision Wednesday from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, have continued to leave protections from deportation in place for Dreamers.
