How do we know Very Serious Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s proposed relief for some undocumented young immigrants is actually just a bad faith effort? Well, it’s John Cornyn, first of all. Secondly, there appears to be no actual legislation yet, just some rough idea of a bill that he outlined in a letter earlier this month to Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin.
Cornyn’s proposal apparently provides relief for only immigrants currently enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. That shuts out large numbers eligible under the Dream Act and other legislation. But there’s more! While Cornyn mentions “permanent legal status” in his letter, he doesn’t use the word “citizenship.” That’s a crucial distinction, and we’d like to know more, but there’s no bill! This is not a serious offer, but Durbin is a decent enough guy that he responded. Read on.
“While your legislative proposal would protect these ‘currently enrolled and active’ DACA recipients, it would exclude hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who are eligible for DACA but were blocked from enrolling in the program by the previous administration,” Durbin responded. While he notes there’s currently over 616,000 active DACA beneficiaries in the U.S., “the Migration Policy Institute estimates that more than 1.3 million young people were immediately eligible for DACA in 2020.”
Many young immigrants have been unable to apply for DACA protections simply because they can’t afford the fees. DACA protections also have to be renewed every two years, which young immigrants also have to pay for. Cornyn would shut them out of the chance of permanent relief too.
“In contrast to your proposed legislation, the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promise Act and the Senate version of the Dream Act would provide a pathway to citizenship to all Dreamers who are eligible for the DACA, as well as Dreamers who are excluded from DACA,” Durbin continued. “As a result of the Trump administration’s cruel termination of DACA in 2017, hundreds of thousands of DACA-eligible young people have been unable to apply to the program for years.”
The truth is that John isn’t a big fan of any decent bills in Congress, or of working together in good faith, despite his laughable claims of working behind the scenes for undocumented communities. Cornyn actually tosses nails onto the road to permanent relief in his own letter, telling Durbin that should he schedule a hearing on his imaginary bill, “Senators should be free to offer reasonable amendments to this bill through an open amendment process, and receive an up-or down vote on these amendments.”
That gives Republicans their opening to offer amendments so extreme and anti-immigrant that no one can agree to anything and, voila, the bill is derailed as Cornyn shrugs his shoulders and says, well, I tried, but Democrats couldn’t compromise on anything. And if Cornyn is really passionate about winning permanent relief, he would have done it already. Instead, both Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted against the Senate’s 2013 comprehensive immigration reform package, which passed the chamber 68-32.
“When he came to town some 17 years ago, he convinced many of us he wanted to get to yes on immigration reform,” America’s Voice executive director said in response to Cornyn’s letter. The group has long called his shenanigans the “Cornyn Con.” Sounds about right. “But then he showed his true colors, again and again and again. Imagine if Cornyn had been sincere and gotten to yes when it counted. Millions of immigrants would be citizens today. Millions of families would be whole. Our nation would be stronger.”
“But he never did get to yes, and he won’t get to yes in this Congress,” Sharry said, urging Democrats to go at it alone on immigration. And, it appears we could be getting there. “Cornyn and the Republicans don’t want to pass immigration reform this year, they want to run against immigration next year,” Sharry continued. “McConnell, Cornyn and Senate Republicans want one thing above all else: the power to impose the will of their minority on America’s multiracial majority.”
Cornyn’s proposal apparently provides relief for only immigrants currently enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. That shuts out large numbers eligible under the Dream Act and other legislation. But there’s more! While Cornyn mentions “permanent legal status” in his letter, he doesn’t use the word “citizenship.” That’s a crucial distinction, and we’d like to know more, but there’s no bill! This is not a serious offer, but Durbin is a decent enough guy that he responded. Read on.
“While your legislative proposal would protect these ‘currently enrolled and active’ DACA recipients, it would exclude hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who are eligible for DACA but were blocked from enrolling in the program by the previous administration,” Durbin responded. While he notes there’s currently over 616,000 active DACA beneficiaries in the U.S., “the Migration Policy Institute estimates that more than 1.3 million young people were immediately eligible for DACA in 2020.”
Many young immigrants have been unable to apply for DACA protections simply because they can’t afford the fees. DACA protections also have to be renewed every two years, which young immigrants also have to pay for. Cornyn would shut them out of the chance of permanent relief too.
“In contrast to your proposed legislation, the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promise Act and the Senate version of the Dream Act would provide a pathway to citizenship to all Dreamers who are eligible for the DACA, as well as Dreamers who are excluded from DACA,” Durbin continued. “As a result of the Trump administration’s cruel termination of DACA in 2017, hundreds of thousands of DACA-eligible young people have been unable to apply to the program for years.”
The truth is that John isn’t a big fan of any decent bills in Congress, or of working together in good faith, despite his laughable claims of working behind the scenes for undocumented communities. Cornyn actually tosses nails onto the road to permanent relief in his own letter, telling Durbin that should he schedule a hearing on his imaginary bill, “Senators should be free to offer reasonable amendments to this bill through an open amendment process, and receive an up-or down vote on these amendments.”
That gives Republicans their opening to offer amendments so extreme and anti-immigrant that no one can agree to anything and, voila, the bill is derailed as Cornyn shrugs his shoulders and says, well, I tried, but Democrats couldn’t compromise on anything. And if Cornyn is really passionate about winning permanent relief, he would have done it already. Instead, both Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted against the Senate’s 2013 comprehensive immigration reform package, which passed the chamber 68-32.
“When he came to town some 17 years ago, he convinced many of us he wanted to get to yes on immigration reform,” America’s Voice executive director said in response to Cornyn’s letter. The group has long called his shenanigans the “Cornyn Con.” Sounds about right. “But then he showed his true colors, again and again and again. Imagine if Cornyn had been sincere and gotten to yes when it counted. Millions of immigrants would be citizens today. Millions of families would be whole. Our nation would be stronger.”
“But he never did get to yes, and he won’t get to yes in this Congress,” Sharry said, urging Democrats to go at it alone on immigration. And, it appears we could be getting there. “Cornyn and the Republicans don’t want to pass immigration reform this year, they want to run against immigration next year,” Sharry continued. “McConnell, Cornyn and Senate Republicans want one thing above all else: the power to impose the will of their minority on America’s multiracial majority.”