Steve King Anti-DREAMer Vote; DACA Anniversary; and Senate Bill Passage Anniversary
Will the GOP Exit June as the Anti-Immigrant Party, or as a Party Capable of Winning the White House in 2016?
As the calendar turns to June, this month will see three different immigration-related anniversaries that add up to a telling reflection of the current immigration state of play.
- June 6th will be the one year anniversary of House Republicans passing an amendment from anti-immigrant extremist Rep. Steve King (R-IA) to defund the DACA program and subject DREAMers to deportation. Showing that they haven’t learned from the past, House Republicans last week passed another anti-immigrant amendment from Steve King, who added insult to injury by referring to the DACA program as “Deferred Action for Criminal Aliens.”
- June 15th will be the two year anniversary of the announcement of the DACA program for DREAMers. DACA not only changed the lives of 600,000 young immigrants who are Americans in all but paperwork, but also changed the course of the 2012 elections. The program’s successes offer a foundation for broader affirmative reforms that President Obama should pursue under his existing executive authority, should House Republicans continue to block legislation.
- June 27th will be the one year anniversary of the Senate passage of its immigration reform bill by a 68-32 margin. In the interim, House Republican leadership has refused to allow votes on real reform and have instead empowered the Steve King wing of the Party while trying to pin the blame for their inaction and obstruction on an array of ridiculous excuses.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
The moment of truth is at hand. If House Republicans plan to move on immigration reform this Congress, most likely we will know it before the end of the month. June has played an outsized role when it comes to momentous immigration developments in recent years. Two years ago, the President’s historic DACA announcement changed lives and the course of the 2012 election. Last year, the optimism generated by the Senate’s historic bipartisan vote for reform was tempered by the realization that House Republicans were more comfortable giving Steve King a vote than in moving forward with immigration reform. This June, will the GOP fulfill its 2012 mandate to enact immigration reform, or will the coroner declare the party dead with the fastest growing groups of new voters in America? Will it make itself competitive in 2016 or risk becoming a regional party unable to retake the White House? Will it take the initiative or cede it to President Obama and the push to have him use existing legal authority to grant work authorization to low-priority immigrants eligible under the bipartisan Senate bill? Here’s predicting we’ll know by the end of the month.
339 Days Since Senate Passed its Immigration Bill; 25 Days Left Until Window of Opportunity Closes
