Politics
Former National Security Leaders Urge Congress To Pass Dreamer Amnesty ‘As Quickly As Possible’
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A group of prominent former national security leaders is urging Congress to pass a legislative replacement for the now-canceled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, claiming the U.S. military will be weakened if so-called Dreamers are deported.
In a letter sent to congressional leaders on Tuesday, the former officials — including Obama administration Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta and Ash Carer — called on lawmakers to pass the Dream Act of 2017.
The bill would provide a path to citizenship for nearly 800,000 DACA recipients and potentially millions of similar illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
The former national security officials say the “negative human consequences” of the Trump administration’s termination of DACA are beginning to unfold, and could threaten “Dreamers” who are serving in the military.
“As national security leaders, we are particularly concerned that the nearly 900 Dreamers who are either currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces or are recruits waiting to start boot camp could be deported,” they wrote. “Each of these individuals provides highly sought after language or medical skills and, more importantly, has a strong desire to serve our nation.”
The letter represents an unusual foray into domestic politics by high-profile members of the national and foreign policy establishment. The authors encouraged lawmakers to take up a clean DACA amnesty “as quickly as possible” by inserting the Dream Act into a must-pass spending deal with a hard deadline of Dec. 8.
“In addition to uprooting the lives of men and women who are making sacrifices for our nation, we believe deporting Dreamers would divert government resources from countering serious national security threats currently facing our nation,” the former officials said, couching the Dream Act as a national security imperative. “These threats demand significant financial resources, as well as the attention of our elected officials, law enforcement personnel, and security professionals at the local, state, and federal levels.”
Republican lawmakers have said they won’t take up a clean ‘Dreamer’ amnesty without concessions on border security and other immigration reforms. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday the end-of-year spending bill will not include a provision to codify DACA protections, telling Fox News’ Brett Baier that House leaders are “planning on keeping that separate from spending.”
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