Introduced by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), the Succeed Act, or The Solution for Undocumented Children Through Career, Employment, Education and defense of our nation, aims to “authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain aliens who are long-term residents of the United States and who entered the United States as children, and for other purposes.” (“S. 1852: SUCCEED Act” 2017). This bill is sponsored by Senators Thom Tillis, Orrin Hatch, and James Lankford, who take a conservative approach to the immigration crisis. The SUCCEED Act seeks to solve the problem posed by President Donald Trump when in September he suspended DACA, a program enacted under the administration of former President Barack Obama, giving Congress six months to find a solution to the problem. Under the SUCCEED Act and the handy two-page guide to the SUCCEED Act, people who came to the United States as minors and without documents will be able to remain in the United States and earn a merit-based path to citizenship. The path to citizenship involves five steps. (SUCCEED Act Two-Pager 2017) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first step to becoming a United States citizen for DACA recipients would be to meet all eligibility requirements to obtain conditional status. The 7 requirements to obtain conditional status are listed: (1) Obtain a high school diploma or equivalent (if over the age of 18). (2) Arrived in the United States before age 16 and present since June 15, 2012. (3) Pass a thorough criminal background check. (4) Submit biometric and biographical data to DHS. (5) Pay any existing tax liabilities. (6) Be a person of good moral character as defined by current U.S. law. (7) Sign a waiver of future immigration benefits if they violate certain terms of their status. (2017 SUCCEED Act Two-Pager) After meeting all requirements for Phase I, a SUCCEED Act participant must proceed to Phase II: applying for and maintaining parole status. Undocumented minors will need to apply for conditional permanent residency and, once they turn 18, will need to apply for a five-year renewal, through which they will be required to pursue one or more of three merit-based pathways: Maintain gainful employment for 48 years. over 60 months, earn a post-secondary/professional degree, or serve honorably in the military for at least three years. (SUCCEED Act Two-Pager 2017) After meeting Phase II requirements, participants must reapply for conditional status and have maintained the following guidelines during the first five years of participation: meet their merit-based obligations, keep a clean criminal record and pay taxes. (SUCCEED Act Two-Pager 2017) After completing Phase III, participants can meet the requirements of Phase IV by maintaining conditional permanent residency for ten years and have demonstrated that they are a productive and law-abiding member of society, so after they can become eligible and apply for a green card or lawful permanent residency. (SUCCEED Act Two-Pager 2017) Finally, after maintaining the requirements, remaining in lawful permanent residence and waiting 5 mandatory years in lawful permanent residence, the participant may be able to complete Phase V by becoming eligible to apply for the naturalization process and then do it. (SUCCEED Act Two-Pager 2017) In implementing the SUCCEED Act, costs would be mostly administrative, “in carrying outbackground checks, biometric data collection and case processing, etc. to identify any individuals with a criminal past or gang affiliation." (SUCCEED Act, Thom Tillis 2017) Under the SUCCEED Act, the Department of State would carry out all procedures and administrative actions related to the SUCCEED Act. (SUCCEED Act, GovTrack 2017 ) According to the National Immigration Forum, “Under the bill, 1.8 million Dreamers could be immediately eligible to apply for conditional permanent resident status if it passes, and up to 2.6 million Dreamers could eventually be eligible in total.” In the ongoing struggle of freedom versus order versus equality, the SUCCEED Act seeks to restore order to a crumbling immigration system and a nation plagued by illegal immigration and the consequences of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program SUCCEED Act, as previously stated, is a conservative approach to the problem and is opposed to the Democratic solution, known as the Dream Act. Senator Thom Tillis and his co-sponsors, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and President Pro- Tempore of the Senate, and Senator James Lankford (R-OK) are right-wing conservatives, and although the SUCCEED Act is the most conservative in terms of the solution offered to the problem, the SUCCEED Act does not coincide with the ideology of the party of three senators. The Republican Party platform takes a tough stance on immigration. As stated in the 2016 Republican Party platform, “We oppose any form of amnesty for those who, by breaking the law, have disadvantaged those who have followed it. American immigration policy must serve the national interest of the United States.” Again, even though this is the most right-wing solution, it is still weak (from the perspective of some Republican voters) and may not satisfy all voters. However, a July Gallup poll found that more Republicans favor a path to citizenship than deporting unauthorized immigrants or building a wall: 76% versus 50% and 62%, respectively. (Gallup 2017) There are indeed multiple Republican solutions to the problem, and the SUCCEED Act is certainly the far-right one. Another bill besides the Republican-sponsored SUCCEED Act is the Recognizing America's Children Act, or RAC Act, which offers a middle ground between Democrats' lenient policy proposals and Trump's hard-line policies on immigration. Senator Thom Tillis should hope to attract far-right conservatives with this bill, and possibly with Trump's approval, given that under the SUCCEED Act it takes fifteen years for an undocumented SUCCEED Act participant to gain eligibility to apply for naturalization, while competing bills such as the RAC Act offer a five-year path and the Dream Act a very lenient two- or three-year path. The bill has garnered support from influential groups for Senator Tillis, with several bodies promoting the bill, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, IBM, The Hispanic Leadership Fund, The National Immigration Forum, FWD Organization, The Libre Initiative and Niskanen Center President Jerry Taylor. (SUCCEED ACT, Thom Tillis) The bill reportedly has the support of President Trump, someone whose support of Tillis will be critical to his re-election, as we have seen approval ratings plummet for members of Congress when criticized and disapproved by Trump. According to an article by Ryan Autullo of the Austin American-Statesman, “ Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., co-author of the SUCCEED Act, told thereporters that they briefed the president on the legislation and that Trump 'was very supportive of the legislation.' the concepts, saying it's the right way to go.'” This bill has about as much of a chance of being enacted as the Dream Act, the Recognizing America's Children Act, or the BRIDGE Act. Support for the SUCCEED Act is coming from all corners, including the President. This bill is the far right's solution, and given President Trump's history and time in office as president, it is safe to say that he would have the highest support for this measure, as well as his previously stated support for the measure, stating "this is the right way to go. It's a surprise, and not a surprise, move by the President. For years, Republicans have talked a tough game on immigration, but they have softened once in office, and now the president is doing the same. Congressional support is varied and, much like other measures, appears to be dead at the moment. If no further progress is made by the end of December, this bill will likely die in the Senate Judiciary Committee to which it was sent. According to Govtrack.us, no Democrats have signed the bill. Furthermore, given the track record of Senator Thom Tillis, with a 2% success rate of sponsored legislation, this is unlikely. pass the commission stage. Its main competitor, the Dream Act, was given a forecast of a 21% chance according to its web page at GovTrack.us. The Dream Act has 193 co-sponsors, but since Congress is largely controlled by Republicans, this bill doesn't stand much of a chance as it is a bill supported primarily by Democrats. He is likely to get support only from the Democratic side of Congress and a dismal number of Republicans. (S. 1615: Dream Act of 2017) The SUCCEED Act is the bill most likely to gain Republican support because it is the most conservative bill offered so far in response to Trump's rescission of the DACA program. Despite its dismal number of sponsors, three, because it is the most conservative solution of the program, if another bill is not drafted, we could see when it becomes the crucial moment for the passage of a DACA bill, the Republicans will flock to this bill. When the time comes, we may see this bill become what is known as “pork barrel legislation.” Trump has come to an agreement with Democratic leaders in Congress on a DACA deal, which would combine border security measures with legislation for “Dreamers.” (Politico 2017) Public opinion will play a critical role in the fate of DACA recipients and whether or not the SUCCEED Act stands a chance. IF the SUCCEED Act were to pass the House and Senate, most likely with a small percentage of approval, it would end up on President Donald Trump's desk in the Oval Office. While Trump may have domestic support for this piece of legislation and believes in it, there is no doubt about it, with his low approval rating and the amount of Republicans who reject this type of legislation, with 24% of Republicans saying yes opposes “Allowing immigrants living in the United States illegally the opportunity to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements for a period of time,” that he will lose his reelection campaign if he signs this bill, or indeed any piece of legislation that allows DACA recipients to remain in the United States (Gallup 2017) His signature could shake the solid 38% he had during the 2016 election, which carried him..