“Pressure makes diamonds,” American General George S. Patton said. Pressure brought to bear on the DACA law may finally bring some immigration reform. California’s congressional members will be key to any solution.
With President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy in six months and kick the concern to Congress the forced deadline might finally resolve the issue.
While there was a threat of a constitutional challenge that could remove DACA by judicial fiat, the six-month deadline will force Congress to make a decision. Not acting on the issue is also making a decision that members of Congress will live with.
Additional action on DACA was expected. After all, DACA stood for Deferred Action.
Enough Republicans in Congress would have to team up with Democrats to get something done. With Speaker Paul Ryan on the side of the young people who live under the DACA rules the potential for bipartisanship is there.
California Republican members are a key to the negotiations. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a one-time Congressional whip, if he rallies behind Ryan, will be have a large responsibility in rounding up votes to win a DACA law that the president would sign.
But there are also the California GOP 7—those Republicans who have been targeted by Democratic political machines and PACs because political experts feel they are vulnerable in a changing California.
Even before the announcement on DACA by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Republican members Jeff Denham of Turlock and David Valadao of Hanford signed a letter urging the president to “apply the law in the manner required by the circumstances.” Those circumstances included children who did not willingly violate U.S. laws, were educated in American schools, and passed background checks when they qualified for DACA status.
Darrell Issa, another Republican who is targeted, issued a statement urging Congress to find a permanent fix “and a “sense of compassion for those who were brought here in their childhood years ago and wish to stay as productive members of our communities.” Both Mimi Walters and Ed Royce spoke encouragingly about supporting those who relied on DACA.
Congressman Steve Knight on Facebook only offered that those on DACA status “deserve a thorough and thoughtful review.”
Pressure on the California delegation will not only come from advocates of those affected by DACA but also from the business community. California Chamber of Commerce president Allan Zaremberg issued a statement that, “California has more at risk than other states.” He said, “About 200,000 of those individuals are Californians. The end result of uprooting 200,000 Californians, 95% of whom are gainfully employed or enrolled in college, would create change for which we are unprepared.”
In addition, many Republican members of the California legislature have called on Congress to pass a bill that will keep DACA applicants in the United States.
In the wake of the White House’s announcement on DACA, many have called for comprehensive immigration reform. That seems a Herculean task in six months in light of the history of failed efforts at immigration reform and the many other issues facing Congress.
Will the president be satisfied with a simple DACA fix? The politics of this issue within the Republican Party certainly go well beyond California borders. But California could be key to Republicans holding the House in the next election. A united California delegation in support of DACA may help move the president and Republicans to fixing DACA.