By JIM RUTLEDGE

D.C. Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It appears any hope of passing an immigration bill to address the “Dreamers” who work in agriculture and elsewhere will have to wait on the federal courts, including the Supreme Court, to determine their future.

Further in doubt is the more than $25 billion the White House wants for a sweeping immigration security bill that includes funds to build a controversial border wall with Mexico. Without the funding, President Trump has said he will let the Obama-era Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program expire on March 5.

The former president’s program addresses undocumented immigrants commonly referred to as “Dreamers” who were brought to this country illegally by their parents as young children and have hopes for a path to citizenship. According to the Agricultural Workforce Coalition, approximately 2 percent of the nearly 1.8 million DACA recipients work in farming.

Under DACA, an estimated 690,000 young undocumented immigrants have been protected from deportation. Another 1.1 million would be eligible. Trump rescinded the program, which offers temporary, renewable work permits until March 5. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents will not likely move against the undocumented people until the courts or Congress decide their legal standing.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has said he will consider immigration legislation in the House, but it’s not likely to win Democrat support if a bill is sent to the Senate, where any measure needs 60 votes to pass, with the GOP holding only 51 seats. By last weekend, the last of four Senate measures was defeated 39-60.

“No one comes out a winner in this,” said Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) after the Senate vote. “We tried everything.”

Over the past week of Senate debate, lawmakers rejected several hardline measurers that placed strict limits on legal immigration, ended the diversity visa lottery and offered Dreamers an eventual path to U.S. citizenship. The Senate struck down measure after measure that Democrats had hoped would end with a bill to secure a future for DACA.

Farmers also continue to wait for revisions to the widely used H-2A visa program and progress on a new E-verify (electronic employment eligibility) initiative, as well as a new H-2C visa bill. Immigrant labor is vital to farming and fills jobs most Americans don’t want.

Two federal courts have issued injunctions ordering the administration to keep DACA in place for those receiving its protections, but the Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to intervene and overturn the lower court rulings. The Supreme Court could act sooner than later.

Without court action or a legislative solution, DACA advocates have estimated in media reports that more than 100 young people lose their protected status each day. After March 5 they say the number could rise to as many as 1,400 a day.