But be wary of the Cornyn Con
Austin, TX – Yesterday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) included a DACA fix in his list of 2018 priorities during a Senate floor speech. While it’s imperative that the Dream Act be passed immediately, one must take Sen. Cornyn’s comments with a grain of salt. Sen. Cornyn has never voted in support of the Dream Act, and instead has undermined efforts at immigration reform that would have benefitted so many Texans.
Today at the White House, Cornyn said to President Trump, “And like you and like the rest of us who want to do the right thing by these young adults who came here as children, and I think we have a great opportunity.” As part of the Republican Senate leadership, Sen. Cornyn has had a “great opportunity” repeatedly to stand with the 124,000 Texan DACA-recipients who are counting on a solution, but his constant backtracking and calls for increased border security only serve to delay the process to death.
More than 80% of the public, including two-thirds of Republicans, support Dreamers and efforts to keep them here in America. In Texas, an overwhelming majority of the state’s Latino population – 89% – want the Dream Act to pass, according to Latino Decisions. There is a national consensus on this issue. A solid majority of members of Congress in both chambers would vote for a Dreamer solution if given the chance.
Mario Carrillo, Director of America’s Voice Texas, said:
We’ve heard a lot of talk on immigration from Sen. Cornyn in the past, only to be let down. More than 120,000 Texas Dreamers’ lives and futures remain in limbo and further delays are not an option. If Sen. Cornyn is serious about addressing this issue, then he must push his party to pass legislation that would protect America’s Dreamers today. Let’s see if he finally uses his position as second-ranking Republican to take advantage of that opportunity.
