Last week, Democrats in the House and Senate introduced legislation that would give immigrants immediate access to many federal benefits instead of making them wait five years.

Legislation passed in 1996 requires that most immigrants to the United States wait five years after obtaining their immigration status before accessing Medicaid, food stamps and other federal benefits programs. Now, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D‑WA), Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D‑CA), and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D‑HI) are pushing legislation, the Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration (or LIFT the …