Sen. John McCain says it would be unconscionable to send illegal immigrant “Dreamers” back to their home countries, urging Congress to pass a new amnesty as a part of comprehensive immigration reform.
“It is not conscionable to tell young people who came here as children that they have to go back to a country that they don’t know,” Mr. McCain said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And, by the way, there’s 900 of these Dreamers that are serving in uniform in the United States military. Now, are we going to go to the young men or women serving in Afghanistan or Iraq today and say, ’By the way, you’re a Dreamer, get back to fill in the blank’? We’re not going to do that to these young men and women who are serving in uniform.”
The Arizona Republican said replacing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program ought to be done as part of a broader immigration package that includes reforming work permits and ramping up border security.
“I think it ought to be done in a comprehensive fashion,” Mr. McCain said. “A few years ago we passed through the Senate with a vote of 68 votes comprehensive immigration reform — that STEM, science, technology and engineering people, guest workers, a number of other provisions that makes it comprehensive, border security, etc. We need to do that and make that part of the Dreamers part.”
President Trump announced last week that he would end the DACA program, but he gave Congress a six-month window to replace the policy. He said it is in “the best interests of our country” to “begin an orderly transition and wind-down of DACA, one that provides minimum disruption.”
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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