Congressman Ruben Gallego Condemns President Trump’s Decision to End DACA Program; Files Amendment to Block Deportation of Dreamers
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) issued the statement below following the administration's announcement that President Trump has decided to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an initiative that granted protection from deportation and work authorization to Dreamers.
Gallego also filed an amendment to the House GOP's appropriations package, scheduled for consideration this week, which would block the deportation of these undocumented young people.
"Among the litany of deeply misguided decisions that Donald Trump has made over his first seven months in office, this one stands out for its callousness and its cruelty. I've met dozens of DREAMers, both in Phoenix and across the country. They've served as interns in my office. I know their strength and their spirit. I admire their patriotism and their determination to give back. They believe in our country and they deserve a government that believes in them.
"The DACA program represents the very best of America -- our generosity, our openness, our compassion. On the other hand, this decision represents the very worst of Donald Trump -- his pettiness, his selfishness, and his inability to see beyond his own narrow self-interest.
"Trump's uncontrollable impulse to indulge the most hateful elements of our society knows no bounds. It wasn't enough to equivocate as Nazis marched in Charlottesville or to pardon a proudly racist Sheriff in Arizona; he felt compelled to go one enormous step further by exposing 800,000 Dreamers to deportation from the only country that most have ever known.
"To knowingly inflict pain on others for personal or political gain is the worst sin an American leader can commit. The question now is whether Republicans in Congress will condemn this transgression or attempt to explain it away. Will they work with Democrats to protect Dreamers or will they provide the Administration with political cover and more funding to deport them? Will they see this decision as an act of cruelty or as a political opportunity to exploit, a useful means of extracting concessions like harmful spending cuts or a new border wall?
"While we fight to restore DACA, secure citizenship for the Dreamers, and pass comprehensive immigration reform, the very least that Speaker Ryan can do would be to allow a simple up-or-down vote on my amendment to protect them from deportation while Congress seeks a solution.
"For the sake of these young immigrants and our country, we should all hope that Paul Ryan will finally find the moral courage to stand up to Trump."