Democrats Ready To Shut Down Government If Dream Act Doesn't Pass

Congressman Luis Gutierrez says he and other Democrats are ready to propose a government shut down if House members don’t pass the Dream Act and fail to protect thousands of young immigrants from being deported.

Gutierrez stated: “We have a Democratic caucus where I know the vast majority of the members of the Democratic caucus are ready to say ‘If there is no pathway forward, not only for the 800,000 and for visas for all of you, but also for the rest of immigrant youth through the Dream Act, then there is no government for anyone.”

Gutierrez raised doubts last month about a deal to protect DACA recipients reached between Trump, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat, California. He said: “I warned Democrats not to negotiate, to say that what we wanted was a clean Dream Act.” (Photo: CNN).

His comments come after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would be ending the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program with a six-month delay, sparking outrage among Democrats and civil rights groups.

Also, Trump signed a disaster relief bill that includes a 3-month extension of both federal government funding and borrowing authority. This measure moves the possibility until the end of October.

The Congressman hopes he can pass an immigration bill by December, as the proposed measure is set to run out in that month. He said: “The coming Christmas has to be a Christmas of joy for all of us or none of us.”

Luis Gutierrez has made it clear in the past that he thinks negotiating with President Donald Trump on immigration policy is “fanciful thinking” in the wake of the hard-line conservative proposals he announced (photo: Democracy Now).

Congressman Raúl Grijalva told the press that the “vast majority of the progressive caucus” and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are backing up Gutierrez’s approach.

There is also an effort in the Senate to push Congress to create protections for young undocumented immigrants.

Senators Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham have introduced a measure that would offer legal status to individuals who received protections under DACA.

Both senators have introduced a measure that would offer legal status to individuals who received protections under DACA. If passed, recipients and others who have lived in the U.S. for four years would receive permanent legal status. (photo: Getty Images).

Gutierrez has expressed his skepticisms about a negotiation on DACA, stating: “It’s a slippery slope, I never understood why everybody wanted to sit down and negotiate. I’ve been there 20 years and this is the same negotiation we’ve had for the last 20 years. They’re throwing everything and the kitchen sink in terms of enforcement. I just never understood it.”

He added that Trump “has never wavered from his xenophobic positions. I never understood, I just never got it, how you go from Charlottesville and white supremacists to reaching an agreement with him.”

Gutierrez is a leading advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, here he speaks in support of people who have benefited from DACA during a rally at the U.S. Capitol (Photo: Associated Press).

Article inspired by Washington Examiner/Luis Gutierrez: Democrats ready to shut down government if Dream Act fails.