Thirty-four Congressional Republicans Push DACA Amnesty By Year’s End
“Not acting is creating understandable uncertainty and anxiety amongst immigrant communities”
We’ve been covering the on-going DACA saga here at LI; President Trump tossed Obama’s unconstitutional Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) back to Congress, initially giving them six months to get a bill to his desk that would enshrine some version of DACA into law.
The president later announced that he would grant Congress an extension if they weren’t able to get their act together within the original time frame. Trump, in other words, will gladly sign a DACA bill should one make its way to his desk.
The Democratic and Republican parties are afraid to act on DACA, but one group of Republicans, the Main Street Republicans group, who describe themselves as the “governing wing” of the GOP, has decided that it’s time to act on DACA. Indeed, they insist that a DACA bill be passed by the end of the year.
To that end, they have sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI):
Dear Speaker Ryan,
We write in support of passing of a permanent legislative solution for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients before the end of the year. DACA recipients – young people brought to America through no fault of their own – are contributing members of our communities and our economy. For many, this is the only country they have ever known. They are American in every way except their immigration status.
Since DACA’s inception, the federal government has approved approximately 795,000 initial DACA applications and 924,000 renewals. Since being approved for DACA status, an overwhelming majority of these individuals have enrolled in school, found employment, or have served in the military. Studies have shown that passing legislation to permanently protect these individuals would add hundreds of billions to our country’s gross domestic product (GDP). That is why the business community, universities, and civic leaders alike support a permanent legislative solution.
We agree with President Trump that executive action was not the appropriate process for solving this issue, as was done under the previous administration, and we believe Congress should act. We are compelled to act immediately because many DACA recipients are about to lose or have already lost their permits in the wake of the program’s rescission. Not acting is creating understandable uncertainty and anxiety amongst immigrant communities.
While we firmly believe Congress must work to address other issues within our broken immigration system, it is imperative that Republicans and Democrats come together to solve this problem now and not wait until next year. We all agree that our border must be enforced, our national security defended, and our broken immigration system reformed, but in this moment, we must address the urgent matter before us in a balanced approach that does not harm valuable sectors of our economy nor the lives of these hard-working young people. We must pass legislation that protects DACA recipients from deportation and gives them the opportunity to apply for a more secured status in our country as soon as possible. Reaching across the aisle to protect DACA recipients before the holidays is the right thing to do.
Here is a list of the signatories:
Rep. Scott Taylor (VA-2)
Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-4)
Rep. Mia Love (UT-4)
Rep. Mark Amodei (NV-2)
Rep. David Valadao (CA-21)
Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-8)
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-8)
Rep. Mike Coffman (CO-6)
Rep. Charles Dent (PA-15)
Rep. Frank LoBiando (NJ-2)
Rep. Peter King (NY-2)
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL-26)
Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27)
Rep. Ryan Costello (PA-6)
Rep. Fred Upton (MI-6)
Rep. Jeff Denham (CA-10)
Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13)
Rep. John Faso (NY-19)
Rep. John Katko (NY-24)
Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-2)
Rep. Susan Brooks (IN-5)
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16)
Rep. Glenn T. Thompson (PA-5)
Rep. Mike Simpson (ID-2)
Rep. Mimi Walters (CA-45)
Rep. Leonard Lance (NJ-7)
Rep. Pat Meehan (PA-7)
Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21)
Rep. Tom McArthur (NJ-3)
Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4)
Rep. Jenniffer Gonzales-Colon (PR)
Rep. Joe Barton (TX-6)
Rep. Will Hurd (TX-23)
Rep. Bruce Poloquin (ME-2)
You can read the full list of the approximately 70 Main Street Republicans members here.
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Comments
“We all agree that our border must be enforced, our national security defended, and our broken immigration system reformed, BUT..”
BUT always negates the preceding clause, which means in this case none of the signatories are really interested in border security, national security, and enforcing immigration law. No wonder Trump does so well against the GOPe.
Those RINOS (lying Democrats by another name) always have
lots of big “Buts”….. Kick them out of the GOP!
FYI
RINO Frank Luntz Flabbergasted Shocked As Alabamians Back Roy Moore in Vice News Focus Group
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/09/flabbergasted-frank-luntz-shocked-as-alabamians-back-roy-moore-in-vice-news-focus-group/
His response should be nine words.
“Fund the wall, build the wall, then we’ll talk”
We should not give amnesty to nearly a million law-breaking foreigners living in the U.S. illegally unless we have a law ending chain migration rights first.
These “Americans in every way except their immigration status” have already demanded that the U.S. not only give them amnesty, but also allow their parents and other foreign family members to migrate to the U.S. (those not already living here illegally, that is).
There is no need to rush into passing any DACA amnesty law. Trump is not deporting DACA recipients, and it would be ludicrous to rush a law like this into being just because some illegal aliens claim to feel “anxiety” about what may happen to them at some point in the future.
Illegal aliens have no right to demand amnesty, or any other privileges, from Americans. And if they feel too “anxious” living here not knowing when they will get their amnesty, there is an easy solution to their problem: go home.
No amnesty. Not now. Not ever again. How many times does Lucy have to offer to hold the football?
I would also prefer no more amnesties, but realistically speaking, that’s not going to happen. The Democrats want the DACA amnesty badly, and a lot of RINO’s want it too. So it’s going to happen, sooner or later. But there is no reason why we can’t do some negotiating and get something meaningful (like real border security, and an end to chain migration) in return.
Vote for amnesty and you will get nothing in return. Zero, zilch, nada. If you want to have any chance of a sovereign nation again ruled by a constitution and rule of law, oppose amnesty with all your heart and soul.
A vacuous nothingburger of a statement. All it says is, “Yep, somebody in Congress should do something about this.” Which is exactly what Trump said months ago when he tossed the problem to the legislature.
This is just a stall. They’re sounding like people waiting for some deus ex machina to give them what they want. They are obviously not eager to make it happen, themselves.
Just contacted Mimi walters my rep, you let her know my HUGE disappointment in her signature to this. Won’t change ber GOPe mindset, oh well
DACA without a secure border is like remodeling the house while it is still on fire.
DACA is clearly not about what the proponents say it is about. They are lying. All.Of.Them.
Build the wall and secure the border first!
…and by amazing coincidence, thirty-four congressional Republicans are going to get the (censored) primaried out of them.
“#Here to stay – Future ENGINEER?”
Weren’t a whole flock of leaders of the PLO possessed of Engineering diplomas? And certain of the 9/11 participants?
That placard is an own-goal. A gaffe.
Mexico needs engineers also.
Democratic leverage, labor arbitrage (including international quid pro quo), “clean” wars, and a relief valve for second and third-world nations.
This is simply a way for republican Congress Critters to go into the midterm elections saying “I tried to do something, but no one would listen”. There is a very good reason why the Congress has not addressed the DACA situation or seriously changed the immigration laws in the last 30 years.
Sounds like 34 Republicans who need to be replaced, if necessary by Democrats. At least if Democrats take their seats, it will not change how they vote on anything critical and we can openly oppose them without them claiming that at least they are better than Democrats.
For the record, Mike Coffman of CO-6 has a record of blatantly lying to Republican voters in the State Legislature and as State Treasurer, and then mocking us for believing him.
take away the uncertainty: deport ALL illegals NOW!
The ones carrying the “Here To Stay” signs first, please.
I’m in support of passing of a permanent legislative solution for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients before the end of the year.
I don’t think anyone would be against a path of citizenship for these “kids” if we knew it would be done correctly. But unsurprisingly, I see nothing in that letter to indicate these reps of the dairy industry, farming industry, restaurants etc. aren’t content with keeping the spigot of “illegal” labor flowing so they continue to take advantage of desperate immigrants.
Mia Love. Not feeling the love I had hoped for.
Even if chain migration was ended as part of a DACA deal I doubt the liberal justices in our immigration counts would care.