Congressman Labrador Exposes Pro-Illegal Schemes of the United States Senate

Democrats and Republicans in the United States Senate wanted to put Big Business and La Raza ahead of the American People on the four immigration bills which came to a floor vote last week.

All of them failed, including Toomey's common sense ban on federal grants to sanctuary cities. Shameful.

Congressman Raul Labrador, who is running for Governor of Idaho, revealed the real wranglings behind the scenes on the different immigration bills which got a floor vote, especially the abortive Schumer-Rounds-Collins compromise, which was anything but common sense:

Dear Friends,

Hanging in my office in Washington, D.C., is a famous Charles Schulz cartoon. Once again, Charlie Brown falls for Lucy’s trick, as she pulls away the football and leaves Charlie on his backside. That image captures exactly what happens over and over again in Washington.

Now we have the football:

Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, tried to fool the American people last week with an immigration bill they claimed would give President Trump $25 billion over 10 years to secure our border in return for legalizing young illegal immigrants who were brought here as children.

The truth is, the Schumer bill was a bad joke. It guaranteed funding for only the first year (so, just 10 percent of what President Trump asked for). Every year after that, funding would be contingent on a report and certification by the Homeland Security Department – a process that is purposefully onerous and difficult to achieve, meaning the money would either be delayed or remain unspent. Furthermore, should a Democrat be elected President in the next 10 years, we know the Homeland Security Department would never seek certification and the money would never be spent.

Bureaucrats are a Democrat's best friend. They routinely cheat and lie, promising so much that conservatives want to hear, then run away from the actual program and push through only the stuff which helps their agenda.

It's time that more conservatives wake up to these serious problems in our government. They don't follow through on their promises, and they have little interest in solving the major issues in a way that are actually helpful and worthwhile with the needs of the American people.

In return for this pittance, the Schumer bill would legalize 3 to 4 million illegal immigrants - not just the 690,000 DACA enrollees, but everyone who is eligible for the program, their parents, and many others.  So the Schumer bill would legalize a population five times greater than what many Republicans are willing to accept for only about 10 percent of the border money. And Schumer called that a fair deal. 

No more legalizing illegal aliens. We need to put the needs of Americans First.

Predictably, the liberal media swallowed Schumer’s talking points, blaming the President for refusing a deal to protect DACA recipients.  Once again, conservatives who attempt to compromise are accused of bargaining in bad faith, when the truth is Democrats want porous borders and are using the so-called “Dreamers” as political pawns.

The media can make any arguments they want, but no one believes them. It's crystal clear to anyone paying attention that the Democratic Party never wanted to solve this illegal alien mess. They only wanted to foment this never-ending wedge issue to their political gain.

Now their time has run out, and Democrats are sore losers with nothing to show for their half measures to an increasingly enraged base.

The President has always been clear on the four provisions required to win his signature: border security, ending chain migration, cancelling the visa lottery and a reasonable DACA solution. The Schumer bill only fully addressed DACA, guaranteed just one year of funding for a wall, and completely ignored the other two issues.

An insult, not just a bad joke.

The good news is Republicans didn’t fall for the Democrats’ trick. This time, Charlie didn’t let Lucy take the football, to the disappointment of the media. Even better, there is growing support for a conservative bill that I have been fighting for in the House.

The bill is pretty good, except for the DACA part. No amnesty, no legal status, and everything else is a go.

After the Senate failed to advance any bill, the President reiterated his support for the Securing America’s Future Act, which I co-authored with House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairwoman Martha McSally, R-Ariz.

In a statement after the Senate theatrics, the President’s press secretary said, “The next step will be for the House to continue advancing the proposal from Chairman Goodlatte and Chairman McCaul.”

I doubt that this piece of legislation is going anywhere. Rep. Mark Meadows of the Freedom Caucus was quite pessimistic about anything coming through the US Senate ever. The whole process must begin in the House of Representatives, the more populist branch of government, which at this time has presented a piece of legislation far more response to President Trump's agenda.

Our bill fulfills the promise to fix our broken immigration system and is endorsed by NumbersUSA, the leading advocacy group for conservative immigration reform.

NumbersUSA is OK with the legislation. That is interesting and good. I still do not want to support any kind of legal status for illegal aliens, even if it's a temporary three-month stayover.

First, we secure our borders, including a southern border wall and other measures. Second, we stop chain migration and eliminate the visa lottery. Third, we boost interior enforcement, including cracking down on “sanctuary cities” and combatting asylum fraud. Finally, we provide legal status for current recipients of the DACA program. 

Will it be the last part? Are we certain that those illegal aliens will not be granted anything until everything else is put in place?

Last week, House leadership took steps to begin moving our bill forward. Nearly 200 House Republicans have committed to support the bill and we’re continuing to work to build additional support. 

The next step in this process is clear: We need the House to take action and hold a floor vote on our bill.  As my friend, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said: “If the House is going to wait for 60 Senators to figure out an immigration bill first, we might as well all go home and take a nap. The House should not wait on the Senate to act. We already have a bill that delivers on the voters' priorities. Let's lead.” 

Get rid of the DACA part, and all will be well.

The American people support our approach, according to recent polling. The Harvard-Harris poll found 65 percent support a deal for DACA that ends chain migration, eliminates the visa lottery, and secures the border with a wall. The Securing America's Future Act is the only bill in Congress that does all those things.

How about a bill without the DACA part?

We have to get this right; otherwise we put public safety, our economy and billions in taxpayer dollars at risk. I will continue the fight for common sense legislation that protects Idahoans and all Americans.

If you’d like to learn more details, click here for a one-page summary of our bill. To read the entire bill click here.  

Thank you,

Final Reflection

I am aware that government and legislation is a balancing act. All of that is true, but there are some issues which are simply not open to compromise. The federal government has an essential responsibility to secure our borders and protect the rights of Americans. That is not something that we should have to bargain or barter for.

I can assure you that this legislation will go nowhere in the United States Senate. Ted Cruz will vote against it, since it provides a pathway to citizens for a population of illegal aliens. Every single Democrat will vote against it for purely partisan reasons. Even if four of the ten vulnerable Senate Democratic incumbents were to vote for this legislation, that would generate a total of 54 aye votes.

Not enough to overcome a filibuster.

I think it's time for us to wait until 2019, when Republicans can have a better chance of winning more seats in the House and Senate and pass a more substantive set of bills on many issues, including repeal of Obamacare, immigration enforcement, Second Amendment issues, and more.