President Trump’s decision to end DACA, the Obama-era program that gave work permits to children of undocumented immigrants, is likely to touch off a “civil war” over immigration among congressional Republicans, reports DTN. Trump urged Congress to replace the program with legislation before it expires next March.
But “Congress has repeatedly tried — and failed — to come together on immigration overhaul legislation, and it remains uncertain whether the House would succeed in passing anything on the divisive topic,” notes DTN. “Many House Republicans represent highly conservative districts, and … the pressure is likely to be amplified as primary races intensify ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.”
DTN points to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s primary defeat in 2014 as a “cautionary tale.” Cantor was upset by a more conservative challenger who portrayed the incumbent as soft on immigration. “That loss convinced many House Republicans that pro-immigrant stances could cost them politically.”
There are currently some 800,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — as DACA is officially known — which became law in 2012, and the administration said they will not be immediately affected as the program winds down. But as of Tuesday, the program would accept no new applications, under Trump’s order.
In the weeks leading up to Trump’s decision on the fate of a program he had vowed to kill during his campaign, the divisions within the GOP were clear. While Texas led a list of nine states that said they would sue the administration if it didn’t end DACA, House Speaker Paul Ryan and other leading Republicans in Congress urged Trump to let the program stand until Congress could find a way to deal with it.
Politico reported that Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican, said last Thursday that “he’ll try to force a vote on a bill that would extend protections for the Dreamers,” as those covered under DACA are known. “Under the DREAM Act, young undocumented immigrants would have a path to citizenship if they attend college or serve in the military for at least two years.”
But Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, praised the president’s decision, and Rep. Steve King, also an Iowa Republican, tweeted over the weekend: “Ending DACA now gives chance 2 restore Rule of Law. Delaying so R Leadership can push Amnesty is Republican suicide.”
The situation is even more complicated for agriculture. Although groups that represent farmers were big supporters of Trump’s candidacy, much of the farm labor force they depend on is made up of undocumented immigrants. So in the wake of Trump’s DACA decision, the silence from farm groups was notable. FERN reached out to the National Farmers Union, which sent a statement from its president, Roger Johnson: “Strong families are critical to developing successful individuals and cohesive farm communities. Our immigration policies must prioritize keeping families together, and this decision puts that in jeopardy.”