Republicans are conflicted about Dreamers, the young immigrants who were brought here unlawfully as children. On the one hand, they oppose protections that they believe were enacted unconstitutionally without Congress, like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. On the other hand, Republicans favor the policy of protecting Dreamers itself.
In fact, a recent Morning Consult/Politico poll found three of four Trump voters support legal status for Dreamers. However, Republicans continue to debate about what the specifics of any proposal should look like. A Republican proposal called the Recognizing America’s Children (RAC) Act, introduced by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL26), is gaining traction among Republicans as the conservative answer to Dreamers.
Many prominent Republicans have expressed sympathy for Dreamers which they could act on by supporting bills like the RAC Act. Here are some examples of what Republicans have had to say about Dreamers:
Senate Republicans
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY): “What I did say is I’m very sympathetic with this particular situation with these youngsters who were brought here at an early age and who have largely grown up here.” (February 2017) (Source)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): “I have great sympathy for students brought to the United States at a very young age who have no moral culpability for being in this country in violation of
our laws...I continue to believe that our Nation would benefit from the DREAM Act being introduced and debated in committee; amended to address concerns with the bill; and incorporated into a credible immigration reform package that begins with border security and can win the support of the American people.” (December 2010) (Source)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): “I support the goal of the Dream Act which is to enable children who were brought to the United States by their parents to earn citizenship through service in the armed forces or pursuit of higher education. I do not believe that children are to blame for the decision of their parents to enter or remain in the United States unlawfully. The reality is that many of these children regard America as the only country they ever knew. Some were not even told that they were unlawfully in the United States until it came time for them to apply for college. America should provide these young people with the opportunity to pursue the American dream. They have much to offer America if given the chance.” (2010) (Source)
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO): “There will be a lot of sympathy for kids who were brought here when they were kids. I just think it’s an easy thing to understand.” (2016) (Source) Senator Blunt also “told the Guardian it was important to be ‘thoughtful’ about young undocumented immigrants who ‘have no real connection with the country their parents brought them from.’…‘I think we can do that,’ he said.” (2016) (Source)
Sen. John Thune (R-SD): “I think there’s always sympathy for people who are in a circumstance like that, through no fault of their own.” (2016) (Source)
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO): “I believe members across the aisle can unite and agree that providing these children with some sort of immigration relief is the just and fair thing to do. The children do deserve to have the opportunity to continue the American dream and we, as members of Congress, should have the compassion to provide them with this.” (2014) (Source)
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA): “There are a number of children that have been brought here not of their own accord. And I do support allowing those children some of the freedoms that are here in the United States.” (2014) (Source)
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS): “I’m supportive of DACA and believe that the humanity aspect of this important… no fault of their own, circumstances beyond their control… DACA has made sense to me.” (2017) (Source)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME): “It seems to me that if a child is brought here by his parents that that child really didn’t have any say in the decision to come here. I don’t support illegal immigration. But that isn’t the child’s fault.” (2017) (Source)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): “If you’re one of the Dreamer kids, I think we can get you permanence to stay and legalize you.” (2017) (Source)
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said “she isn’t ‘for deporting families and breaking up families.’” (2016) (Source)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA): “In my judgment, this is a very exceptional case. We have a person that loves his country so much that he wants to serve in the military.” (2000) (Source)
House Republicans
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-6): “These children came here through no fault of their own and many of them know no other home than the United States”. (2013) (Source)
Rep. Paul Ryan (WI-1): “What we have to do is figure out how to have a humane solution to this very legitimate, sincere problem.” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA-23): “I would like to work out a situation there because the children were brought across, they were under the age of 18, it was not their issue. They did not come themselves. I think they have a right to do it. We should secure the border, but I think the children we should not hold them liable.” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Martha McSally (AZ-2): “These children were brought here at no fault of their own. In Arizona, there are 57,000 of them. They came forward to the government, they gave their personal information—where they live, their biometric data and fingerprints—they graduate from high school and served in our military.” She said to former Secretary Kelly: “Uncertainty brings fear to my constituents in this position. Can you assure me that they will be protected?” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Doug Lamalfa (CA-1): “One of the great founding principles of our country was that children would not be punished for the mistakes of their parents. It is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own, those who know no other place as home. For those who meet certain eligibility standards, and serve honorably in our military or attain a college degree, we will do just that.” (2014) (Source)
Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-42): “I’ve always been sympathetic to the so-called DREAMers, and I would hope in the process of doing the things that we’re doing on immigration that we can work out a reasonable compromise…I don’t think you’re going to see any activity to deport children from the United States.” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Scott Tipton (CO-3): “Instead of acting unilaterally, the president should have worked with Congress to enact real immigration reforms to provide options for children who had no say in being brought to the United States at a young age.” (2017). (Source)
Rep. Ted Yoho (FL-3): “I’ve met some of them. I’ve sat with them. I’ve talked to them. We’re in a tough situation. We’ve got these kids — some of them are valedictorians of their schools. They’ve been here all of their life. There has to be a way to work through this.” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Jody Hice (GA-10) said “Congress and the administration should bring ‘a great deal of compassion and sensitivity’ to the plight of people who were brought illegally into this country as children, and who have some protection under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Raul Labrador (ID-1) told The Huffington Post later that he “would support a bill to give a path to citizenship to Dreamers so long as other conditions, such as additional border security, were met.” (2013) (Source)
Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13): “I truly believe that anybody who is willing to fight for our country and came here through no fault of their own as a child ought to be given a special place in line to legally become an American citizen.” (2016) (Source)
Rep. Susan Brooks (IN-5): “Lastly, DREAMERS, children who have not committed crimes and whose parents entered the country illegally, present a difficult issue for all of us. I am committed on working towards finding a compassionate resolution to their immigration status and that of their families.” (Source)
Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-8): “What we need today is to find a way to educate and retain bright and talented students who apply themselves, work hard and wish to contribute as productive members of our society. That is what makes our country great, and that’s why Democrats, Independents, and Republicans all must work together to develop solutions that will make this goal a reality. We must treat with compassion, respect and dignity those people who are currently living here as the federal government works to develop those solutions.” (2010) (Source)
Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-4): “From our founding, America has been a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws…Our own communities in Central Washington are a testament to the contributions of immigrants to the fabric of American society. It is the sole responsibility of Congress to write laws that provide a humane solution to our broken immigration system…I am proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect children brought here through no fault of their own. These children and young adults deserve stability here in the U.S. while Congress comes together on long term immigration reform.” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-2): “We cannot abandon these young men and women who have arrived here, through no fault of their own, and are currently seeking to further their education and lives in the United States.” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Blake Farenthold (TX-27) “referred to ‘people facing deportation that were brought here as very young children’ as ‘the victims,’ according to the Gonzales Cannon. ‘We’ve spent all this money educating them; we need their productivity,’ he said.” (2013) (Source)
Rep. Lamar Smith (TX-21): “We need to address the status of children who were brought to the U.S. illegally at a young age through no fault of their own. They should not be blamed for their parents’ actions.” (2013) (Source)
Rep. Bill Flores (TX-17): “What would be better would be for Congress to pass a path to citizenship for Dreamers. . . . Then you don’t need DACA. . . . Look, if you take someone who was brought here when they were 2 years old and say, ‘Now we’re going to ship you to Venezuela,’ they’d be lost. They’re Americans. We’ve educated them. Why not make Americans out of them? Legal Americans.” (2017) (Source)
Rep. Mac Thornberry (TX-13): “There are instances in which a child is brought into the United States illegally and does not discover it until it is time to apply for college or a job…We should find a compassionate way to deal with such situations that does not undermine the rule of law or encourage others to violate our laws.”(2011) (Source)
Rep. Joe Barton (TX-6): “They are Americans and we need to acknowledge that and find a way, to those that wish to be a part of the American dream for opportunity, to make them legal.” (2014) (Source)
Rep. Ted Poe (TX-2): “The kids that are here and getting older, who are here through no fault of their own, we have to make sure they have the opportunity to get legal status.” (2013) (Source)
Rep. Trey Gowdy (SC-4): “The issue of how to treat children brought to this country is not new. Congress has considered it since at least 2001. But it is a new issue for this Congress and several members of this Subcommittee. We all view children as a special, protected class. We have all witnessed acts of heroism where total strangers risk and sacrifice their lives for other people’s children. We admire teachers and other professionals who dedicate their lives to teaching and helping other people’s children. Children and the issues that impact their lives unite us like nothing else. And because children are a special class, the law treats children differently in almost every regard. When children wander into neighborhood yards, we don’t call that trespassing. When children cry and yell and scream at restaurants or on airplanes, we don’t call that a violation of the noise ordinance. When children eat a grape at the grocery store or eat a piece of candy waiting in line before mom or dad pays for it we don’t have them arrested for petty larceny. Children can’t sign contracts, vote, purchase certain items, or even work in some instances becaus
from nicholemhearn digest https://niskanencenter.org/blog/republican-dreamer-quotes/
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