Republicans and Democrats still at odds over immigration, government shutdown possible

Democrats in Congress have been threatening that if DACA is not addressed, they would force the federal government to shut down. The Republican-led congress is pushing for a legislative solution that will address the DACA problem, but Democrats are insisting that a broader immigration relief (amnesty) bill be sent to the president’s desk.

Republican lawmakers are pushing back, calling on their Democratic colleagues to focus on getting DACA down. Freshman U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) is one of those legislators that wants Democrats to focus on the “top immigration priority” of border security,” sniping at them for focusing more on President Trump’s alleged “shithole countries” remark.

“President Trump is right that America deserves an ‘America First’ immigration policy. The 2016 election was not about DACA. If it were, then Hillary Clinton would have won. Border security is the top immigration priority of the American people — it should be for Congress, too.

Instead of offering ideas to secure our nation, congressional Democrats have seized on closed-door comments allegedly made by President Trump about Haiti and other nations. 

I’ve been to Haiti, and I’ve stood in 90-degree heat in open-air AIDS clinics there. It is true that the people of Haiti deserve better than what generations of corrupt governments have offered them. Meeting with Haiti’s President offered little hope for progress. The education, infrastructure, environmental, and health conditions are horrible.

Congressional conservatives should continue to support immigration policies to end the visa lottery, stop chain migration, build a wall, implement e-verify nationwide, and remove dangerous criminals from America. Anything else would be a betrayal to our voters.” -Rep. Matt Gaetz