(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)In the wake of President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address to the American people regarding border security and the government shutdown, one of former President Barack Obama’s “Dreamers” sat down with Fox News. But he didn’t say what Democrats were hoping when it came to “the wall,” and they must be horrified after hearing his message.
Hilario Yanez came to the U.S. illegally, but he was not deported under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. He was interviewed on Wednesday by Fox News, and what he had to say about the border wall was contrary to all assumptions made by Democrats about the way immigrants feel surrounding President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“We support anything that keeps our country safe — and safer … Security should be our number one priority,” said Yanez, arguing that the Dreamers who he talks to “want the president to succeed, want the country to succeed.”
His comments came just two days after the Center For American Progress (CAP) Action Fund circulated a memo calling Dreamers a “critical component of the Democratic Party’s future electoral success”:
The memo, co-authored by former Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri, was sent around to allies calling on Democrats to “refuse to offer any votes for Republican spending bills that do not offer a fix for Dreamers and instead appropriate funds to deport them.”
President Donald Trump’s administration moved to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy in September, which former President Barack Obama instituted through executive order to keep immigrants who came here as children from being deported.
Trump called on Congress to find a legislative fix for young immigrants, or “Dreamers,” facing deportation. House lawmakers recently put forward a bipartisan DACA compromise bill that also claims to address worries over chain migration. However, it’s unclear if the bill will pass. [Source: The Daily Caller]
“The fight to protect Dreamers is not only a moral imperative, it is also a critical component of the Democratic Party’s future electoral success,” reads Palmieri’s memo.
“If Democrats don’t try to do everything in their power to defend Dreamers, that will jeopardize Democrats’ electoral chances in 2018 and beyond,” it goes on. “In short, the next few weeks will tell us a lot about the Democratic Party and its long-term electoral prospects.”
It appears that the Democrats do not care as much about protecting DACA as they do about opposing Trump, though. One compromise which has been floated in the wake of the government shutdown is a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers in exchange for the wall, which would seemingly satisfy everyone, but the Democrats refuse to budge. This isn’t about principle, it’s about standing in the way of a president they hate.
Yanez urged Democrats to put aside petty partisan politics in order to forge a deal that will secure funding for the wall and resolve the lingering issue of the fate of Dreamers. “I think the time is now,” he said.
“In order to get, you have to give, and fortunately there are opportunities for compromise and have both sides come together so we can have a huge win for the American people,” said Yanez. “The president is living up to his moral duties, which is to protect this country. He has every right to ask for more border security. Every past president has done this.”
The Democrats are not doing “everything in their power to protect Dreamers” as Jennifer Palmieri advised. In fact, they’re doing nothing at all to help them. Palmieri was right — this is sure to impact their electoral prospects for years to come, and not in a positive way.
