Who could have guessed? Who could have figured this would happen? Last year, Congressional Republican "leaders" seemed to be all on board for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). They even managed to finesse some Senate Republicans (including Nevada's Dean Heller) into voting for S 744.
Yet a strange thing happened as S 744 made its way to the House. Even before it passed the Senate, House Republicans passed an amendment to deport DREAMers. Seemingly "pro-reform House Republicans" (like Nevada's Joe Heck) ran away from legislation they seemed to support earlier in the year. When HR 15 was unveiled, only 3 House Republicans agreed to cosponsor it. And a number of allegedly "pro-reform Republicans" (such as Joe Heck) continue to oppose HR 15.
Earlier this year, House Democrats unveiled a discharge petition for HR 15. This was an actual, concrete way to ensure a floor vote on real CIR legislation. Yet again, those supposedly "pro-reform Republicans" failed to sign the discharge petition.
Last month, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) actually mocked his own caucus for failing to pass CIR. He basically called them cowards for playing games with such critical legislation for American families and the US economy. Yet when asked why he hasn't already allowed a floor vote on HR 15, Speaker Boehner reverted to the same answer he's been giving for nearly a year: "It's someone else's fault!"
For nearly a year, House Republicans have been playing this game of charades on immigration reform. They support it... Or do they? What do they mean by "support"? What do they mean by "reform"? Their calls for "immigration reform" always seem to be an enigma wrapped in a riddle covered with mystery veiled by confusion.
Early last year, some pundits were wondering whether CIR was ever truly viable in the G-O-TEA run House. Now, it looks like their doubts are being validated. House Republican "leaders" are just too afraid of their own 21st Century Know Nothing base to allow any CIR to pass the House.
So we're left with this game of charades. Will they or won't they? Who means what? Is there truly any there there?
Maybe there is something there there? One House Republican, Jeff Denham (R-California), has proposed the ENLIST Act to allow legal status for undocumented immigrants to serve in the military. But of course, Boehner and his lieutenants have pledged to kill this bill. And not even Rep. Denham has signed the discharge petition for the full CIR bill (HR 15) he cosponsors.
So is there any there there? Or is this just one sick game of charades? It remains to be seen when House Republicans will stop playing these games and start... You know, doing their job.
Showing posts with label Jeff Denham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Denham. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Inexcusable
"Deporter-in-chief"? Again? Why are we hearing this again? What is President Obama doing?
The New York Times published this morning an title detailing the evolution of federal enforcement of immigration law since Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in 2006. Once the Bush Administration recognized CIR was going nowhere in Congress any time soon, it began stepping up ICE crackdowns all across the nation. And even after George W. Bush turned over The White House to Barack Obama in January 2009, the Obama Administration decided to make some tweaks to ICE policies... But nonetheless continue tough & broad enforcement.
In 2012, President Obama seemed to be turning a corner when he announced DACA. Even as many DREAM Act eligible immigrants (that is, they would benefit from the DREAM Act if it were law) have found a reprieve from living in constant fear thanks to DACA, their parents, friends, neighbors, and other family members still live in fear. Even since DACA was first announced, we've witnessed even more ICE raids and deportations.
Since President Obama first took office, nearly 2 million immigrants have been rounded up and deported. This is why we saw "Two Million Too Many" protests sweep across the nation this past weekend. Immigrant rights activists are again calling on President Obama to curb his administration's record breaking pace of deportations.
Yet even as pro-CIR activists protest President Obama's record number of deportations, the 21st Century Know Nothings are calling for even more deportations while claiming President Obama is "not enforcing the law" (cough- Joe Heck- cough- Paul Ryan- cough). And why are they flat out denying the facts and calling for even more of what's already happening? Apparently, it's something about "slaves" and "amnesty" and "drug mules". Oh, and let's not forget "libertarian populism" and "Republican rebranding".
No wonder why Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) couldn't take any more insani-TEA. He recently took to the House floor to ask his Republican colleagues to finally get their act together on CIR... Or force President Obama to take further executive action to halt the deportations that are tearing American families apart and ripping entire American communities to shreds.
At least Rep. Jeff Denham (R-California) paid attention. Last fall, he joined a couple other House Republicans, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Fierce), and the vast majority of House Democrats to cosponsor HR 15. And last week, he offered a modest amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow DREAMers to obtain legal status by way of military service. His G-O-TEA colleagues killed that amendment.
And remember, this was after House Republicans (including Denham & Heck) voted in unison against CIR on the House floor. Never mind that American families like Bryan Rivera's suffer while the lower House of Congress dithers on CIR and forces President Obama into an incredibly difficult conundrum of whether to strictly enforce current law or try to alleviate the unnecessary hardship of these families. It's inexcusable that the lower House of Congress continues to waste time on ridiculous bullshit before skipping town for an 18 day vacation.
Seriously? Do they really need another 18 day vacation while so many American families are worrying over whether they can even stay in their homes? How much more inexcusable can their behavior become? And how can they criticize President Obama over any further action he takes when they refuse to fulfill their Constitutional duty and act themselves?
The New York Times published this morning an title detailing the evolution of federal enforcement of immigration law since Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in 2006. Once the Bush Administration recognized CIR was going nowhere in Congress any time soon, it began stepping up ICE crackdowns all across the nation. And even after George W. Bush turned over The White House to Barack Obama in January 2009, the Obama Administration decided to make some tweaks to ICE policies... But nonetheless continue tough & broad enforcement.
In 2012, President Obama seemed to be turning a corner when he announced DACA. Even as many DREAM Act eligible immigrants (that is, they would benefit from the DREAM Act if it were law) have found a reprieve from living in constant fear thanks to DACA, their parents, friends, neighbors, and other family members still live in fear. Even since DACA was first announced, we've witnessed even more ICE raids and deportations.
Since President Obama first took office, nearly 2 million immigrants have been rounded up and deported. This is why we saw "Two Million Too Many" protests sweep across the nation this past weekend. Immigrant rights activists are again calling on President Obama to curb his administration's record breaking pace of deportations.
Yet even as pro-CIR activists protest President Obama's record number of deportations, the 21st Century Know Nothings are calling for even more deportations while claiming President Obama is "not enforcing the law" (cough- Joe Heck- cough- Paul Ryan- cough). And why are they flat out denying the facts and calling for even more of what's already happening? Apparently, it's something about "slaves" and "amnesty" and "drug mules". Oh, and let's not forget "libertarian populism" and "Republican rebranding".
No wonder why Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) couldn't take any more insani-TEA. He recently took to the House floor to ask his Republican colleagues to finally get their act together on CIR... Or force President Obama to take further executive action to halt the deportations that are tearing American families apart and ripping entire American communities to shreds.
At least Rep. Jeff Denham (R-California) paid attention. Last fall, he joined a couple other House Republicans, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Fierce), and the vast majority of House Democrats to cosponsor HR 15. And last week, he offered a modest amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow DREAMers to obtain legal status by way of military service. His G-O-TEA colleagues killed that amendment.
And remember, this was after House Republicans (including Denham & Heck) voted in unison against CIR on the House floor. Never mind that American families like Bryan Rivera's suffer while the lower House of Congress dithers on CIR and forces President Obama into an incredibly difficult conundrum of whether to strictly enforce current law or try to alleviate the unnecessary hardship of these families. It's inexcusable that the lower House of Congress continues to waste time on ridiculous bullshit before skipping town for an 18 day vacation.
Seriously? Do they really need another 18 day vacation while so many American families are worrying over whether they can even stay in their homes? How much more inexcusable can their behavior become? And how can they criticize President Obama over any further action he takes when they refuse to fulfill their Constitutional duty and act themselves?
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