Deal reopens US government
California senators dissatisfied with DACA assurances
California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris both opposed the Senate deal to reopen the federal government on Monday, saying they weren’t satisfied with assurances for a vote to protect young undocumented immigrants.
The deal infuriated immigrant advocates and liberal activists, raising questions about whether divisions among Senate Democrats would undermine negotiations going forward.
The agreement, which will keep the federal govern-
ment open for three weeks, came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised Democrats that he would work toward a compromise on a law protecting Dreamers, young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally. If no accord is reached by Feb. 8, McConnell said he will permit a “free and open debate” on the issue.
But Feinstein and Harris argued the deal wasn’t enough to justify ending the three-day shutdown that closed some national parks and kept many federal workers home Monday. Harris, who has said since October that she wouldn’t vote for a spending bill without Dreamer protections, told reporters that it was “foolhardy” to believe McConnell made any specific commitment to an immigration vote.
“I refuse to put the lives of nearly 700,000 young people in the hands of someone who has repeatedly gone back on his word,” she said in a statement.
Last week, Feinstein had waffled on the shutdown, saying she wasn’t sure which way she would vote. But she said Monday she was frustrated by the Republican refusal to pass protections for Dreamers, who are facing uncertainty after President Trump moved to repeal the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
“For four months Republicans have promised a vote on the Dream Act. And for four months, they’ve kicked the can down the road,” she said. “They even spent weeks passing a tax cut bill for the rich instead of working on a bill to keep the government open and help DACA recipients.”
Both senators have faced considerable pressure from immigration activists in California, which has more Dreamers and more immigrants than any other state. While the DACA program doesn’t officially end until March under Trump’s move, more than 100 Dreamers lose their protections every day a deal isn’t made.
And even if a compromise bill manages to win approval in the Senate, there’s no assurance that the House of Representatives will pass it.
The House also approved the deal to reopen government on Monday with a vote of 266-150. All but five California Democrats voted against it.
Some observers believe Feinstein’s opposition to the deal was spurred at least in part by the primary challenge she’s facing from State Senate leader Kevin de León, who traveled to D.C. last week to advocate for Dreamers. De León criticized congressional Democratic leaders on Monday, saying in a statement that they “have capitulated, compromised and redrawn a line in the sand even further away from justice.”
The California senators were two of 16 Democrats who voted against the deal. Most of the caucus followed Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, who said he would work to come to an agreement with McConnell. The deal also includes funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years, another Democratic priority.
But immigrant activists savaged the Senate deal, saying they felt betrayed by Democrats who voted to open the government without a more solid commitment on DACA.
Luis Serrano, a DACA recipient in Los Angeles and an activist with the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance, said he was happy to see Feinstein and Harris’ votes but exasperated with the Democratic leaders’ willingness to cave.
“It’s disappointing because when immigrants are needing protection the most under the current administration, Democrats have still failed to stand up for us,” he said. “I’m frustrated that the same games are being played regardless of who’s in office.”