Every Democratic member of Minnesota’s congressional delegation voted in favor of the American Dream and Promise Act, which the GOP describes as “prioritizing mass amnesty over public safety.”
The bill, H.R. 6, passed the House Tuesday in a vote of 237 to 187. It would “provide green cards to criminals, including gang members and people who committed potentially serious crimes as juveniles, with multiple DUI convictions and with misdemeanor firearms-related convictions,” GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee argued.
H.R. 6 would provide green cards to criminals, including gang members and people who committed potentially serious crimes as juveniles, with multiple DUI convictions and with misdemeanor firearms-related convictions. Dems are prioritizing mass amnesty over public safety.
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) June 4, 2019
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) spoke in favor of the bill before its passage, and applauded the fact that it includes a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Delayed Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients.
“I am proud to help lead the Dream and Promise Act and finally, at long last, change that. To give Louise, Liberians, Dreamers and TPS holders a road to citizenship … so the American dream can, at long last, be their reality,” he said.
The Trump administration released a statement expressing its opposition to the bill, saying it would “incentivize and reward illegal immigration while ignoring and undermining key administration immigration objectives and policy priorities, such as protecting our communities and defending our borders.”
“H.R. 6 would also continue the cycle of our broken immigration system that encourages people to break the law at the expense of those who follow the rules. For example, it would explicitly ignore those who proactively committed immigration fraud, which would be a slap in the face to those who chose to enter our country legally and who are currently waiting to become American citizens,” the statement continued.
The full text of the bill, which claims to “authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain aliens,” can be read here.
Republican National Committee spokesperson Preya Samsundar criticized Phillips for “blatantly” mischaracterizing the bill. She said it will give “criminals amnesty for those who have received a sentence of fewer than 10 years or have had less than three state or federal convictions.”
“Dean Phillips and Collin Peterson have voted to reward the behavior of those coming into our country illegally by giving criminals and gang members the promise of amnesty and a pathway to citizenship,” Samsundar said. “While putting dangerous criminals back on the street only puts the safety and security of Minnesotans at risk, it’s clear that Phillips and Peterson have one main concern—to remain in the good graces of Nancy Pelosi.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Collin Peterson” by Collin Peterson.
