Eric Cantor: How to End the Immigration Wars
OPINION
Eric Cantor: How to End the Immigration Wars
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A protester calling for immigration reform is removed from a 2013 Republican gubernatorial election night event in Richmond, Virginia.
JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS
By ERIC CANTOR
SEPTEMBER 16, 2017
THE decision by the Trump administration to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and to defer instead to Congress for a solution to the problem threw a wild card onto a congressional agenda that was already packed. But far more important, it thrust the lives of roughly 800,000 of our friends and neighbors into instant uncertainty.
Washington being Washington, the administration’s decision and its confusing aftermath produced heated and generally unhelpful rhetoric from the extremes of both political parties. Having served as the Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives during the last major immigration debate, I understand the implications of this all too well.
In 2013, a year after the Obama administration established the DACA program, I announced that I was working on legislation to provide a more stable way forward for these so-called Dreamers: young people who had been brought into this country illegally as children and who knew no other home.
As we continued to gather support for the legislation and the 2014 election neared, protesters from both sides of the debate descended on Richmond, Va., my hometown, for dueling rallies. Those from the left attacked me for blocking comprehensive reform because of my focus on Dreamers, while my friends on the right claimed I was promoting an amnesty.
I have long believed that America is a country of laws and that border security is paramount. I also firmly believe that the principles of our founding dictate that children should not be punished for the illegal acts of their parents. The Dreamers were not responsible for their situation, and as a compassionate nation and people we owed them our help: a legal process that could address their status effectively and permanently. But Congress was gridlocked and my proposal went nowhere.
Fast forward to today. The Trump administration has stated that the DACA program will end in six months unless Congress acts. What will Congress do?
As President Barack Obama himself acknowledged, DACA is an imperfect and temporary solution. Every two years Dreamers must renew their deferment from deportation and their work permit. And while DACA makes it possible for them to enroll in college, they remain barred from receiving federal financial aid. Even under DACA, the Dreamers never fully and legally integrate into our country.
Only Congress can fix this mess. It should do so by providing a path for law-abiding Dreamers to obtain a green card and ultimately, full citizenship.
In exchange for a much improved program for Dreamers, Congress should significantly increase America’s border security by funding additional personnel, technology and physical resources at our border. While President Trump’s “wall” has gotten all the political attention, much of the border can be secured more quickly and efficiently by other means. In addition, Congress should require the institution of a comprehensive biometric entry-exit system to prevent visa overstays.
For Republicans, these measures are a critical first step before tackling broader immigration changes. Of course, this is the sort of deal that the extreme wings of both parties will oppose, but it is exactly the type of sensible compromise the nation needs.
Over the past couple of days, we have heard that President Trump and some members of Congress are on the verge of such a compromise, only to later learn that there may not be a deal after all. It’s hard to say exactly what is happening, but it seems safe to say that the president, congressional Democrats and congressional Republicans all have different ideas of what constitutes “protecting the Dreamers” and “securing the border.”
Watching this unfold, I was reminded of those dueling protests in my district three years ago, when I shook my head wondering how one group of people could call my proposal amnesty for illegal immigrants while another described the very same proposal as a step backward for illegal immigrants.
I fear we are on the verge of the same thing happening again. Each day that passes without a deal increases the likelihood that Washington will ultimately do what it usually does: keep the status quo. At best, this would entail Congress authorizing the current DACA program with the same two-year renewals and uncertainty for Dreamers. In the meantime, Democrats and Republicans would continue to fight over border security with little or no progress to show for it.
While keeping the status quo would protect the Dreamers from immediate deportation, it would represent a missed opportunity of tremendous proportions for them, for border security and for broader immigration reform.
It is well past time for Republicans to stand up to those on the right who are quick to denounce any sensible solution as amnesty and for Democrats to stand up to those on the left who rail against any meaningful steps toward border security and immigration enforcement.
The fate of the Dreamers presents a unique opportunity for both parties to do just that. If they do, we may well look back on this as the beginning of the end of the immigration wars.
Eric Cantor is a former Republican House majority leader and vice chairman and managing director at Moelis & Company.
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