I don’t cite the Washington Examiner very often but this remark of theirs on DACA comports closely enough with my views I thought it was worth pointing out:
Out of mercy, out of respect for the fundamental rights of Americans, and observing their lake of culpability, we ought to find a way to legalize the Dreamers who have been here for many years.
Yet the discussion can’t end there. Any deal in which the White House and congressional Republicans grant relief to this set of illegal immigrants ought to include dramatic improvement in immigration enforcement, including more wall along the border and tougher enforcement against recent illegal entrants.
Granting limited amnesty can create a moral hazard and serve to invite thousands more to enter the U.S. illegally, expecting one day to get their own DACA or other sort of amnesty. That would be an unjust consequence of a national act of mercy. To prevent this outcome, we need enforcement.
Congress should fund the erection of walls or other physical barriers in the border sectors where walling is both needed and currently incomplete — for example, around McAllen, Texas. Congress should also draw a cutoff date on DACA, such as 2012, when Obama announced the policy. Anyone who entered after that with children is not eligible.
The final cutoff date can be a matter of negotiation, but the principles at play here must be clear. America is a compassionate nation, and Americans are a merciful people. A nation and a people are not a nation or a people if they do not control who enters or who joins them. U.S. immigration laws should be geared towards advancing the interests and protecting the rights of Americans.
One of the sticking points on DACA is whether its beneficiaries should have a “path to citizenship”. I think they should but but the length of time involved should be substantial, substantial enough that those beneficiaries should be unable to sponsor the legal immigration of their parents who entered the country illegally. Simply banning them from doing that after they become citizens will never pass Constitutional muster.
IOW they want to trade DACA for the wall. I thought you were advocating for a simple, straightforward DACA bill? This failed before so not sure why it would work this time. If you are serious about DACA then I think a standalone bill is probably the way to go. Include details like citizenship in the bill.
Steve
I don’t understand your view of political positions as being cemented in stone, as eternal as the hills. That’s just not true. When circumstances change, people’s positions change, too.
There are several things that are different now. Trump is up for re-election and there’s an impeachment inquiry going on against him in the House just to name two. Some form of DACA is overwhelmingly popular, even with Republicans. I would think it would be possible to craft a deal today that would not have been possible a year ago.
DACA was just as popular a year ago. It didnt pass because Trump’s base, with Steve Miller as the representative, was not receptive and he didnt want to offend them. Trump’s whole approach has been to keep his base outraged and keep them happy. So what has changed? Will his base now be happy about making dreamers legal? I dont see it, but make your case. Even when offered the money to pay for the wall, they wouldn’t do it last year. (The case was made here that one of the reasons it was turned down was because the $25 billion was spread out over 10 years and funding could have been stopped in the future. Well, any law made now can be overturned or not funded in the future. With the GOP holding Congress at the time one or two years was guaranteed anyway, or $2.5-$5 billion.)
OT- I didnt know the following which when next politicians sitting on boards gets discussed would be good to know.
“Perhaps most alarming is the fact that Chao is still getting paid by Wells Fargo, even though she now serves the American people as a member of Trump’s cabinet. Her compensation from sitting on the Wells Fargo board includes stock payouts of up to $5 million over the course of five years — 30 percent of which she received in March of this year. ”
https://morningconsult.com/opinions/as-ethics-probes-build-will-elaine-chao-answer-for-wells-fargo-fraud-scandal/
So Chao, sitting in our cabinet is receiving a million a year in stocks while serving in government. A cynic might think that could give her motivation to keep up the stock value of Wells Fargo. I do have to admit it is incredibly brilliant on the part of Wells Fargo. If you figure one of the reasons a board member might leave, besides death or permanent retirement, is service in government this is an incredible investment on their part.
Steve
DACA doesn’t pass because each side puts a poison pill into the legislation or isn’t willing to pass a simple clean bill. The problem is entirely dysfunction in Congress.
Link to the McCain-Coons bill . It appears that the poison pill in the McCain bill was actually the ABSENCE of wall funding. It is pretty stripped down, so what exactly was the poison pill in it. Judges? McCain’s name? Also, dont forget that the 2013 bill included funding for 700 miles of fencing and 20,000 new border agents. Ending chain migration and, IIRC, diversity visas. A mandatory national E-verify system. The poison pill that lead to the Republicans in the House not even voting on it? A path to citizenship that required at least a 10 year wait and any applications before the bill was submitted must be done first.
https://www.coons.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/McCain-Coons%20one%20pager.pdf
Steve