Thread: 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.”

http://standardspeaker.com/news/barl...dems-1.2243008

Lou Barletta is now going soft. Please send these rude and angry dreamers home. Trashing our laws, our flag, our people. Kids in some schools cannot be patriotic to the USA because the foreign citizens would get upset. No serious background checks and forgiveness of all kinds of crimes. They go before a judge and their attorney says they are "DACA," the special ones. The judge goes weak and slashes their felonies to lesser offenses.

Representative Barletta, 800,000 illegal aliens is 20-30 million. There is no legislation that would keep the number from expanding and or receiving citizenship at some point.

The new talking point is no legalization till border security committed to, not actually completed. Haven't we been there, done that. They again want the amnesty with pie in the sky promises of border security. Same thing when they came up with border governors would sign off on border security in past amnesty attempts.

Anybody coming here on a Visa needs to post a $5,000 deposit

You do not leave...you forfeit that deposit, you get caught and NO chance to ever come back

Please pay close attention to what is really going on. You'll enjoy this much more if you do, and I truly don't want you all to miss it.

I hate to see Barletta going soft on DACA, but I'm encouraged that he is running for Senate. He will surely be a better choice than most Republicans and any Democrat. He needs reminding who has supported him through the years. I think he sees an opportunity to get enforcement by compromising, but he has to recognize that citizens will pay the cost through benefits and jobs lost to immigrants.