Can the GOP overcome their racial rhetoric on immigration?

Republicans say their immigration concerns are national security, the economy, and that we are a “nation of laws,” but GOP actions on DACA and Temporary Protected Status suggest otherwise.

First, the GOP plans to revoke TPS from Hondurans, Nicaraguans, Haitians, and Salvadorans, around 302,000 people. People with TPS are not here illegally, they were given permission by the government to live in the US. This was supposed to be temporary, but the argument Republicans make against immigration does not align with the reality of those with TPS. TPS recipients must pass criminal background checks and re-register regularly. They are ineligible for social-safety net programs, so must be working and paying taxes. Removing them now takes money out of the economy.

Second, 800,000 DACA recipients are also not “illegal.” They entered the country as children and cannot be held responsible for their parent’s decisions. And they are subject to similar rules as those under TPS, which means they are net contributors to the US economy.

If Republicans are only concerned about a legal process for entering the country, safety, and the economy, why are they working so hard to remove 1.2 million people who are here legally, pass background checks, and are working?

Several House Republicans are attempting to force a vote protecting TPS/DACA recipients by overriding leadership with a discharge petition. After proclaiming that immigrants bring crime, screaming for a free wall, and lying about the economic realities of immigration, we will see if Republicans care to protect those who meet their own criteria. These are reasonable measures with bipartisan support, it should be simple.

Perhaps it would be easier if they looked Norwegian.

— Greg DeLuca, Robbinsville