President Obama defended his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals actions of 2012, which allows millions of children of illegal immigrants to stay in the United States.
Speaking with a group of DREAM’ers in the Oval Office today, Obama highlighted their plight, asserting that they were Americans “just like us” who “belong here.”
“I don’t think there’s anybody in America who’s had a chance to talk to these six young people who or the young DREAMers all across the country who wouldn’t find it in their heart to say these kids are Americans just like us and they belong here and we want to do right by them,” he said.
Obama criticized Republicans for passing a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that would defund his executive actions on immigration form.
“There’s been talk about not funding that department because of the disagreement around immigration reform,” he asserted. “There’s no logic to that position.”
Obama encouraged all children of illegal immigrants to sign up for his DACA program, pointing out that he was “confident” that the program would would remain past his presidency.
“I’m confident that the next President and the next Congress and the American people will ultimately recognize why this is the right thing to do,” he said. “So I’m going to want all of you to get information so you can sign up if you qualify as well.”