House Republicans Begin New Congress by Voting Against American Families
One of the first orders of business for the brand new Congress today was to undo President Obama’s administrative relief for certain undocumented immigrants. In a series of votes nearly along party lines, representatives sought to undo the president’s program through amendments to the funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security. Members also voted to end the highly successful Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary legal status to DREAMers. We condemn these votes and are resolved to fight them and other similar proposals.
In a statement released shortly after the vote, NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía expressed her disappointment:
“The House Republican leadership and Caucus may believe that they voted against the president today, but they actually voted against the millions of American families whose loved ones are working very hard to get right with the law. And they voted against millions more, including the majority of Americans who strongly support the substance of the president’s policy.
“Adding insult to injury, House Republicans voted to undo the one program in the last two decades that has done anything to help resolve our immigration issue, gratuitously harming hundreds of thousands of young people who are now able to make stronger contributions to our economy and communities. I cannot think of a more substantively offensive and politically disastrous step for Republicans to take at this moment in time. It is no secret that the GOP is in a severe deficit when it comes to the Latino community and the Hispanic vote; it is a well-known fact among the many Republicans who support a sensible and effective immigration solution, and polling confirms it.”
The Latino community will not forget that House Republicans actively worked to begin the 114th Congress with a political stunt meant to crush the hope given to families without any plausible alternatives in return.
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