Politico
By Ted Hesson
October 04, 2017
A Latino House Republican complained Wednesday on Twitter that he was “deported” from a bipartisan Capitol Hill rally for so-called DREAMers in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The rally, at which Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) stood alongside more than 100 undocumented young people, was sponsored by the Mark Zuckerberg-backed advocacy group FWD.us. At the event, Durbin and Graham spoke in support of the DREAM Act, S. 1615 (115), which they co-sponsored. The bill would create a pathway to legal status and eventual citizenship for DREAMers.
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), a Cuban-American whose parents fled Fidel Castro’s regime in the 1960s, has introduced a more restrictive alternative to the DREAM Act. Curbelo tweeted Wednesday morning that “.@SenatorDurbin demanded I be deported from the @FWD_us press conference for #Dreamers later today, but I’ll stop by anyway to support them.”
Curbelo’s tweet linked to a story in The Hill that quoted Curbelo saying Durbin had threatened not to participate in the rally unless FWD.us withdrew its invitation to Curbelo. Speaking to reporters at the event, Durbin denied demanding Curbelo’s exclusion.
Curbelo showed up at the rally, but stood on the outskirts and did not address the crowd. “I’m starting to see petty politics pop its ugly head in this DREAMer debate,” Curbelo told POLITICO. “I hope we can keep this as apolitical as possible so we can actually get something done.”
President Donald Trump’s decision to end DACA put pressure on Congress to find a legislative solution before the program expires in March, but negotiations appear to be growing more rancorous by the day.
Republicans who dined with Trump on Monday night said he’ll want border wall funding in a DACA deal and tight immigration restrictions that could drive away Democratic support.
The debate may continue for some time. The administration is allowing people with permits that expire between Sept. 5 and March 5 to renew for a two-year period, but applications need to be at DHS by Thursday.
Several bills have surfaced in the Senate and House to deal with the roughly 690,000 people enrolled in the program.
Durbin and Graham’s DREAM Act would create a pathway to legal status and eventual citizenship for an estimated 1.8 million undocumented immigrants brought to the United States at a young age, including DACA enrollees.
“The president is very sympathetic to the plight of these kids,” Graham said in an interview. “If you marry up a good strong border security bill with a DREAM Act or something like it, then that will pass by the end of the year. I really believe that.”
Curbelo’s bill, the Recognizing America’s Children Act, H.R. 1468 (115), would offer legal status to a smaller pool of people — closer to 1 million. The Florida lawmaker said that’s closer to the DACA population, but added that he would also back the DREAM Act. “I’m willing to support any of the bills that support DREAMers,” he said.
Durbin told reporters at the rally that he never forced Curbelo out of speaking at the rally.
“I didn’t invite anybody to this event, and I didn’t disinvite anybody to this event,” Durbin said. “The only thing we were told was this was a rally for the sponsors of the DREAM Act, and he’s not a sponsor of the DREAM Act. … I had nothing to do with it.”
Peter Boogaard, communications director for FWD.us, said the mix-up stemmed from a “miscommunication,” but did not provide details.
“Other offices were not involved,” he said in an email. “We continue to support Congressman Curbelo’s efforts to stand with Dreamers and are incredibly thankful for his leadership.”
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