DREAM Act Portal Forum - War between Hispanic pols puts Dreamers in cross hairs

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A clash between Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Latino Democratic lawmakers over his attempt to join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has gotten so nasty that it’s threatening to derail momentum for a year-end deal to save Dreamers from deportation.

CHC members accuse Curbelo, one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House, of seeking membership to the all-Democratic caucus just to boost his reelection chances in his Latino-heavy district. And they’re angry he’s pressing to be admitted even as he refuses to sign on to their signature bill, the DREAM Act — support they say would lend the proposal much-needed GOP muscle.

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Privately, some caucus members also say the Miami lawmaker is discouraging other Republicans from embracing their legislation to protect some 700,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the country as minors. Curbelo is pushing his own, more conservative Dreamers bill, but he says he would support the Democratic plan if it reaches the House floor.

“They think I have some magical wand or something. Me signing onto that bill is going to have little, if any, effect,” Curbelo said in an interview. “A lot of them are taking the approach it has to be this or nothing. I also don’t want to be a part of that message because I don’t agree with that.”

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Curbelo and more than a dozen other moderate House Republicans held a news conference late last week calling for GOP leaders to take action on Dreamers before the holidays. But the group would not endorse a specific proposal, and most, including Curbelo, have not signed on to the DREAM Act.

“Thank you, nice gesture. It will not lead to solving the problem,” Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) said, dismissing the GOP news conference. “They say they support something that they won’t put their signature on.”

Curbelo leveled his own accusations at Democrats, accusing them of refusing to sign on as co-sponsors of his proposal, which is more restrictive in its criteria for applicants and thus would grant legal status to fewer people than the DREAM Act.

“Why play that game?” Curbelo said. “It’s not about the credit.” A spokeswoman for Curbelo later said he would likely sign onto the DREAM Act if more Democrats also agreed to co-sponsor his bill. The DREAM Act currently has 200 co-sponsors, including five Republicans, while Curbelo’s bill has 34 supporters, including one Democrat, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

Democrats counter that the DREAM Act is the best vehicle because it has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) are the leading co-sponsors of a companion bill in the Senate. And, Democrats say, they made a strategic decision shortly after Trump rescinded DACA to unite behind one proposal for fear that supporting too many alternatives would muddle their message

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/...mocrats-244853