Barletta: Republicans’ inaction forced Trump to work with Dems
SARAH SCINTO, STAFF WRITER / PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, sees President Donald Trump’s willingness to work with Democrats on immigration issues as a warning to his Republican colleagues.
“If Republicans can’t do it, he has no choice but to work with Democrats,” Barletta said “He’s going to make a deal with whoever is willing to sit down and work with him.”
Barletta reacted Thursday to developments surrounding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which defers deportation for immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children.
Since announcing plans to end DACA earlier this month, Trump has alluded to allowing DACA recipients, or Dreamers, to remain in the country and this week met with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi about a deal that would protect Dreamers while propping up border security.
“Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military?” the president tweeted Wednesday. “They have been in our country for many years through no fault of their own — brought in by parents at young age. Plus big border security.”
Barletta agreed any policy should show compassion toward the “800,000,” DACA recipients, but said enforcement of immigration laws should come first. He said allowing Democratic leaders to control the deal might deprioritize enforcement efforts.
“I don’t think Democrats put as much value on stopping illegal immigration once and for all,” he said. “If there’s a deal with the Democrats, you’re going to have some problems.”
Barletta, who recently announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, said legislators can use the DACA debate as an “opportunity to stop illegal immigration,” while helping people who came to the country illegally “through no fault of their own.”
“I don’t think anybody wants to send them home,” he said of DACA recipients. “There’s an opportunity here for everyone to finally get what they want.”
Barletta, a prominent and vocal ally of Trump and the former mayor of Hazleton, has represented Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District since 2011.
Known for supporting a Hazleton immigration act while he was mayor, Barletta has continued to weigh in on immigration since he was elected to Congress seven years ago. He has opposed sanctuary cities, called for using biometrics such as fingerprints and eye scans to verify when immigrants enter and leave the country, and sponsored a bill increasing penalties for deportees who illegally re-enter the country. Hazleton’s immigration law never took effect because federal courts nullified it, and after the years-long court case the city had to pay legal fees of $1.4 million.
To enforce immigration laws, Barletta recommended not only funding for Trump’s border wall proposal but also tougher regulation on travel visas to prevent people from overstaying their time in the country.
“There has to be legislation that commits to enforcement before legalizing the 800,000,” he said. “There’s no legalization until enforcement is agreed upon.”
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