Two Colorado GOP U.S. representatives differ on immigration reform

Two Colorado GOP U.S. representatives differ on immigration reform

By Allison Sherry
The Denver Post

Posted:07/23/2013 06:27:27 PM MDT
Updated:07/24/2013 09:19:38 AM MDT

WASHINGTON — Two of Colorado's most prominent Republicans pushed varying messages Tuesday on how to achieve comprehensive immigration reform to a House subcommittee — a rift that exemplifies the uphill battle the issue has in getting accomplished before the end of the year.

Rep. Cory Gardner, a Republican from Yuma, said that while he believed something needs to be done about the so-called DREAMers — young people brought to the United States as children by parents in the country illegally — he didn't want to enact new legislation without proven border and interior security first.

"We have to focus on border security first and enforcement of the law, and then we can move onto questions about citizenship," he said a few minutes before testifying before a packed subcommittee hearing under the House Judiciary Committee. "There is no bill right now, so let's start with the border and then go from there."

Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican from Aurora, presented a softer view Tuesday — an opinion he acknowledges has evolved because his newly redrawn district is now 20 percent Latino.

Coffman said he believes comprehensive immigration reform — increased border security and a provisional legal status for the millions of undocumented people living in the United States now — needs to happen mostly simultaneously.

Then, when it has been proven the border is secure, a pathway to apply for legal citizenship should be opened for all undocumented people, he said.

As for the DREAMers, Coffman said he believed border security and the pathway to legal status should happen at the same time. In his formal statement to the subcommittee Tuesday, he promoted his own legislation that would allow DREAMers to become citizens if they join the military.

Coffman's sentiment contradicts earlier statements he has made against the DREAM Act and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented adults. It also contradicts his vote last month to defund President Barack Obama's executive order allowing DREAMers to apply for temporary work permits.

"Every congressman and congresswoman always, I think, feels an attachment to their constituents, and quite frankly my constituents have dramatically changed," he said in an interview after the hearing. "In my prior district, the only immigration problems I dealt with were kids going overseas who needed a visa. ... It's very different now. I gotta tell you it really breaks my heart to sit down with some of these people and they tell me what their day-to-day lives are like. I admit I've been moved by some of those stories."

Coffman and Gardner's high-profile testimonies Tuesday come at a critical time for the U.S. House of Representatives as its leadership tries to parse diverging opinions within the chamber on how to tackle immigration reform.

The U.S. Senate last month passed a comprehensive package that calls for an overhaul of the nation's visa system, a pathway to citizenship for the majority of undocumented people living and working in the United States, and an expedited path for DREAMers to become legal residents.

"It's encouraging to see the House have this discussion," said Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democratic architect of the Senate's legislation. "It's time to pass an immigration bill for our economy and for our communities. The DREAM Act is an important element to fixing the system."

DREAM stands for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors.

Although the Senate bill passed 68-32 with bipartisan support, the Republican-controlled House rejected the deal. Most GOP members — including Gardner, Rep. Scott Tipton and Rep. Doug Lamborn — say they prefer to focus on border security before having any conversations about a pathway to citizenship for people living in the United States illegally.

Obama said in a series of interviews with Spanish language television stations last week — including Telemundo Denver — that he didn't believe in tackling immigration reform in a piecemeal fashion.

"The danger of doing it in pieces is that a lot of groups want different things. And you know, there's a tendency, I think, to put off the hard stuff until the end. And if you've eaten your dessert before you've eaten your meal, at least with my children, sometimes they don't end up eating their vegetables," Obama said to a Denver reporter in a one-on-one interview. "So we — we — we need to, I think, do this as a complete package. You know ... we've been working on this for years now, everybody knows what the debates are. It's time for us to stop worrying about politics and worry about doing the right thing for the country."

The White House and House Republicans are in agreement on one thing: No one believes immigration reform will be accomplished before the August recess.

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