Time for Cornyn to Introduce Stand Alone Dreamer Bill He Promised
The recent federal court ruling ordering the Trump administration to fully reinstate the popular and successful DACA program for Dreamers is worth celebrating. But the future of DACA and Dreamers’ ability to live and plan their futures in the U.S. with certainty remains in danger, with an upcoming hearing in the courtroom of Judge Andrew Hanen in Texas the next threat looming. The case before Judge Hanen is being brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton leading several other GOP state AGs.
So you can imagine that a powerful Republican from Texas who is a big champion of Dreamers – and campaigned (in Spanish language ads) as a champion – would be hugely helpful right now, including by replacing the ongoing legal limbo and uncertainty inherent to temporary DACA status with legislation that would make permanent and official Dreamers’ lives and citizenship in America.
Thankfully, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is just such a guy – a silver-maned lion of the Senate, an unequivocal champion of Dreamers, and a principled man of his word. Right?
Time will tell.
At an early December summit hosted by American Business Immigration Council (ABIC), Senator Cornyn said, “I personally think the most important starting point is DACA … I believe we need to take action and give these young men and women the certainty they deserve.” These latest comments come after a re-election campaign to the Senate in 2020 that he won in part by emphasizing his pro-immigrant stances.
While it was curious that Senator Cornyn ran a Spanish-language ad representing himself as a strong supporter of legalization for Dreamers despite voting against the Dream Act five separate times between 2006 and 2018, he’s likely been playing the long game that may be hard for us to see or make sense of. Right? And while we’ve branded his hypocrisy on immigration “The Cornyn Con,” perhaps he’s been playing some type of senatorial, three-dimensional chess that is hard for us mere advocates to comprehend. Right?
Either way, we’re waiting with breathless anticipation for Senator Cornyn to finally deliver on the type of pro-immigrant and pro-Dreamer reforms he has talked about, and talked about, and talked about, and spoken about (in private, when no one was around) and has been supporting for so long. Now is the time. Right?
According to Mario Carrillo, Texas-based Campaigns Manager at America’s Voice:
Sen. Cornyn made it abundantly clear during his latest reelection campaign that he supports a standalone bill that would provide citizenship for young immigrants. He has repeated the pledge, again in public since the election. It’s well past time for Sen. Cornyn to make good on his promise to push forward permanent relief for Dreamers.
With DACA now reinstated, those eligible should apply for the relief and protection that the program provides, but we must address the temporary nature of the program. American voters and Dreamers should be able to count on our elected officials to ensure that Dreamers are no longer treated as a political football and left in limbo. It’s time to finally recognize Dreamers for the Americans they are. None of us will forget the Spanish language ads in which Senator Cornyn called himself a champion for young immigrants and we won’t let him forget either.
