In an act of absurd cruelty House Republicans, along with four Democrats, voted to deport 550,000 children who have nothing to do with the crisis on the border.
The bill passed 216-192-1. Four Democrats voted for the bill, 11 Republicans voted against it, and one person voted present.
House Republicans chose the perfect spokesperson for the effort to deport children when flaming racist Rep. Steve King (R-IA) defended the bill by claiming that Republicans were, “restoring their constitutional authority.”
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Michele Bachmann stood on the House floor and lied by claiming that President Obama is going to grant amnesty to 5-6 million foreign nationals that are illegally here in the in the United States. Bachmann said, “We will put a handcuff on one of the president’s hands.” It’s ironic that Bachmann would use the term handcuff while she is under federal investigation for the commission of several felonies during her 2012 presidential campaign.
Republicans claimed that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was the reason why there is a humanitarian crisis on the border. The House Republican bill would make DREAMers eligible for deportation in two years. The House bill would prevent the president from expanding the program and would close it down.
Over 550,000 children who have been in this country since 2007 have been allowed to remain and work in the US thanks to the program. In order to be eligible for DACA a child has to have lived continuously in this country since June 15, 2007 or earlier. The DACA program has nothing to do with the current crisis.
The White House released an enraged statement tonight, “Republicans in Washington have repeatedly called the situation at our border a crisis; yet, tonight they are considering partisan legislation that will not address the problem and is sure to be rejected by the Senate. As the President said today, the Administration will continue to manage the border as responsibly as possible and address our broken immigration system, but no Administrative action is a substitute for Congressional action. That’s why the President will urge Congress to fix our broken immigration system once and for all upon returning from their recess by doing what the Senate did over a year ago and pass serious, comprehensive immigration reform legislation with bipartisan support.”
The bill will never become law, but the Republican hatred of children and Hispanics has never been made clearer.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
