Congressional Immigration Advocates Take Advantage of Trump’s DACA Waffling

News of President Trump’s proposed Obamacare failures dominate the national headlines. Journalists have made much of the Republican Party’s refusal to come together to pass important legislation, a gesture that would help the president and congressional incumbents who in 2018 will face tough re-election bids.

But some Republicans also are undermining President Trump on his agenda to restrict immigration, and in the process give struggling American workers a much needed helping hand. The last Republican maneuver surprised even veteran immigration observers for its callousness: attempting to allow illegal alien deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACAs), President Obama’s unconstitutional program, to compete with Americans for coveted federal government jobs. The amendment would also pave the way for illegal immigrants to work on Capitol Hill and on congressional members’ staffs, a plum job on any resume.

On July 13, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee passed, in a cowardly voice vote, U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar’s (D-CA) amendment to the FY2018 Fiscal Government and Financial Services bill that would grant work permission to DACAs. Aguilar’s immigration grade is F-. Some representatives demanded a recorded vote, but committee chair Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), immigration grade D+, denied the request. Another Republican conspirator suspect is subcommittee chair Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA), the spending bill’s author.

Doubtless, the amendment will be stripped as it advances to a full House floor vote, and then the Senate. But symbolically it shows how Republican leadership continues its commitment to illegal immigrants’ presence and entitlements, including employment authorization.

An inconvenient truth, however, must be addressed. Had President Trump repealed DACA “on day one,” as he repeatedly promised to do during his campaign, then Aguilar’s amendment could never have been written. Instead of ending DACA, President Trump has disgracefully allowed it to continue, and consequently about 125,000 new and renewed work permits have been issued to aliens during his time in the White House.

Not only has President Trump reneged on his promise to end DACA, he’s been troublingly silent on another of his signature campaign issues, mandatory E-Verify.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has introduced legislation, S 179, to guarantee that employers only hire legally authorized workers.  Please go to the CAPS Action Alert page here to tell your Senators to support S 179 to protect Americans from identity theft.