The impeached President Trump will try and make immigration reform an issue this year and his theme will be democrats want open borders, the usual fake news that lacks factual support It will be the same Trump and GOP who made immigration reform priority during the 2016 campaign and then did nothing once in office and power. To understand the republican and democratic position on immigration reform we have to examine the past record of both parties.
Trump took office and had the good fortune of the GOP controlling both houses of congress the first two years. That bonus gave Trump and the GOP control of what legislation would be introduced, debated and voted on. Yet Trump nor his GOP ditto heads in congress introduced one piece of immigration reform legislation to debate or vote on. In fact all they had was their rhetoric and Trump's executive orders (many of which were overturned by the courts) one that divided children from their parents is still being enforced. And now after 36 months in office, Trump and his party still have no immigration reform legislation before congress to consider. President George W. Bush wanted immigration reform legislation but the GOP refused to consider such legislation even though they controlled both houses of congress for 4 years during Bush's term in office.
President Obama wanted immigration reform legislation and actually proposed his plan to congress. The republican party rejected his proposals and that is one reason DACA was created to address one of the problems. Then in 2013 the democratic controlled U.S. Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform by a vote of 68-32. Fourteen republicans voted with the democratic majority to pass the bill. It was a good bill that provided funding to beef up border security, advanced surveillance, 700 miles of wall and doubled the border patrol agents. The CBO said the legislation would increase the GDP and the George W. Bush institute said the legislation is bullish on the U.S. economy.
However, the republican controlled U.S. House failed to take up the bill even for debate and let the legislation die in the House. That prompted President Obama to try to deal with the immigration issue by executive order. The House's excuse for not taking up the bill was they wanted a piece meal immigration reform legislation and not comprehensive. That excuse has proven to be false many times over because they had the opportunity to introduce piece meal immigration reform during the George W. Bush administration and the Trump administration and failed to do so.
The immigration issues facing the country are so broad comprehensive reform is the only answer and every one knows it. Comprehensive means every one knows the over all game plan that covers the many issues of immigration because they are all interlocked. The past tells us the democratic party does have policy and plans for immigration reform legislation and that all the republican party has is their rhetoric.
NOTE: Trump will brag this election year of keeping his promise to build the WALL. However, it is a campaign promise he will never keep because he said Mexico would pay for his WALL. America is paying for his WALL and Trump is taking needed revenue out of the Pentagon's budget to do so. And his campaign promise of 2016 to pass immigration reform legislation has yet to take place.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
