House Democrat Urges His Party To Stop Working With Trump And Start Protecting Dreamers

While the Democrats brilliantly rolled Donald Trump in today’s meeting on hurricane relief and raising the debt limit, one House Democrat says his party shouldn’t be so eager to work with the president.

On MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, Congressman Luis Gutierrez said Democrats shouldn’t be negotiating with Trump the day after he rescinded protections for 800,000 young undocumented immigrants.

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The Democratic representative said:

This is Paul Ryan on the one hand: “I feel so sorry. I’m so in love with those Dreamers. I wish I could do something for them. Oh, they have all my sympathy.” And what do the Democrats respond with? “Oh, we feel so sorry. We’re so sympathetic with them. We’re in solidarity.” Damn it, it’s about somebody do something about it and pay some political capital. … The debt ceiling has to be on the table. The CR has to be on the table .. because you’ve got to break the glue that keeps [Republicans] together or we’ll never free the Dreamers or have an immigration policy that’s fair and just.

At the end of the day, Trump’s decision to roll back former President Obama’s DACA protections – as disastrous and inhumane as it is – has dealt the Democrats a political hand which they will likely reap the benefits of for decades to come.

As Gutierrez said on Wednesday, it’s important that Democrats use that hand to help those that are looking to the party not only to protect them but also to stand up to a president that has spent his entire presidency going after minority groups in America.

Democratic leaders indeed walked a fine line on Wednesday by sitting down with this president, and they made him look foolish and weak in the process.

But they should follow up today’s Oval Office meeting by redoubling their efforts to protect the 800,000 Dreamers that now face the threat of deportation because of Donald Trump.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.