Kamala Harris Insists ‘Dreamers’ be Protected in Any Deal to End Shutdown

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a rising star in the Democratic Party, has insisted that any deal to end the ongoing government shutdown should include protective measures for so-called “Dreamers.”

Dreamers are illegal aliens who arrived in the United States as minors and earned temporary protection under former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) plan in 2012, which the Trump administration considers unconstitutional.

“Here’s the deal: It’s a false choice that we can’t fund the government and protect Dreamers at the same time,” Harris wrote on Twitter.

She later tweeted, “When I look at our Dreamers, I know I am looking at the dream of who we are as a country:”

Harris is also gathering signatures on a petition that is geared towards ending the government shutdown.

“We need this government shutdown to end as quickly as possible,” the petition states. “Make your voice heard right now and tell Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and all Republicans to do the right thing. Sign my petition to Republican leaders demanding they pass a bipartisan resolution that will reopen the government and protect the Dreamers from deportation.”

Harris’s fellow progressive Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) claimed on Friday that the government shutdown is about the “first racist president of the United States of America” wanting to end legal immigration.

“It’s really about the color of your skin and the country you come from,’ Gutierrez claimed. He reportedly also accused the Republicans of taking DACA recipients hostage.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his belief that the Democrats are using illegal aliens to advance their political position, at the cost of America’s military servicemen and women. He also criticized the Democrats for demanding amnesty for illegal aliens over keeping the government open for lawful Americans.

Trump also suggested invoking the so-called “nuclear option” if a stalemate continues and no deal is reached between lawmakers to end the government shutdown:

Thanks to Senate Democrats, the Senate was unable to reach the 60-vote threshold Friday that is required to end debate and move to a vote on the continuing resolution that would keep the government open.

Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.