The Democrat majority in the U.S. House, led by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is pushing to restore the DREAM Act and most Democrats in the Florida delegation are on board.
U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., rounded up more than 200 cosponsors on Tuesday when she introduced her “Dream and Promise Act” which will let DREAMers stay and offer paths to citizenship. Every Democrat in the Florida delegation besides U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., is cosponsoring the proposal.
“Democrats are proud to stand, today, with Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status folks and Deferred Enforced Departure holders as we take an historic step to protect patriotic men and women who, in being here, in the wisdom of Ronald Reagan, make America more American,” Pelosi said on Tuesday, before jabbing President Donald Trump for having “cruelly gutted DACA and gutted TPS and DED.”
Pelosi claimed that the Democrats had a mandate to push the proposal after flipping the House from the GOP in November.
“The American people elected a new Democratic House majority that will advance progress for all Americans and uphold our values of liberty, justice and opportunity,” Pelosi said. “Today, we are honoring that trust with the Dream and Promise Act, which ensures that Dreamers and TPS and DED Americans continue to bless and enrich our nation. We are pleased that this legislation opens a door of opportunity for Temporary Protected Status and DED recipients, who are American in every way, raising families, starting businesses and contributing to our communities over the decades.
“Once we pass this bill, we will fight for a comprehensive fix to our broken immigration system which embraces the contribution of all of our newcomers. There should be nothing partisan or political in this legislation. Protecting Dreamers and TPS and DED Americans is about honoring and respecting the family that is at the heart of our faith and the heart of who we are as Americans,” Pelosi added.
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., championed the bill on Tuesday.
“DREAMers, TPS and DED holders are Americans in every sense of the word, in every way that counts,” Soto said. “There’s an estimated 100,000 DREAMers in Florida alone. I’ve had the honor of meeting with numerous DREAMers throughout Central Florida who are contributing tremendously to our community. With them in mind, I am proud to join my colleagues as an original co-sponsor of the Dream and Promise Act of 2019. Democrats are taking decisive action to protect these proud Americans from the Trump administration’s callous attempts to strip away their critical status, so they can continue strengthening our nation.”
On the other side of the aisle, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said Democrats should have reached out to the GOP especially with the Senate and the White House in Republican hands.
“Once again, Democratic leadership continues to spin rhetoric when it comes to immigration reform. Just last month, Democratic Leader Hoyer said a bill addressing DREAMers and TPS recipients would be bipartisan. Today, Democratic leaders are introducing a bill that has little to no chance of Senate consideration or reaching the President’s desk. If they truly wanted to get something done, they would have reached across the aisle instead of planning another PR stunt. I continue to implore Democratic leaders to work with me and other Republicans on something with a real chance of consideration, passage, and enactment. I remain ready and willing to work with any member, from either side of the aisle and either chamber, to find a solution to fix our broken immigration system,” Diaz-Balart said.
Comments
Of course the Florida
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I'm sure you can back your
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There is no path to
They've certainly been here
The DREAM act is quite old,
Am I mistaken or did the
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