Five Democrats Flip-Flop to Allow Illegal Immigrant Gang Members to Get Amnesty

Five Democrats flip-flopped Thursday to allow illegal immigrant gang members to obtain amnesty through the American Dream and Promise Act.

Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), a former Duluth, Minnesota, police officer, offered a motion to recommit on H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise, a bill that would grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. The motion to recommit, if passed, would mandate that the bill go back to the committees of origin, and they would have to add Stauber’s amendment before it could come up for a floor vote again.

Stauber’s amendment would ensure that gang members could not receive amnesty under H.R. 6. Specifically, it would ensure that federal authorities could use state or federal data on their criminal history to deny an illegal immigrant’s amnesty petition. H.R. 6 does not allow federal authorities to do this.

Stauber’s amendment would also allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deport illegal immigrant gang members.

Stauber said on the House floor Thursday:

I hear from these same families is there concern and fear for providing green cards and pass to citizenship to gang members and criminals. The text of this bill only compounds those fears. Preventing the United States government from using readily available information to remove gang members who are national security threats and other public safety threats.

This motion to recommit ensures that those individuals that applications would be denied on the basis of criminal grounds, national security grounds, public safety risks, or as gang members are considered by the Department of Homeland Security for removal from the United States.

Under H.R. 6, information provided in an application for a green card may not be used for the purpose of immigration enforcement – even if DHS denies the application or it’s withdrawn.

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This means that if an applicant has a murder conviction, a rape conviction, or if the applicant is a gang member, and DHS knows about it because of the application, DHS can’t refer that person for removal.

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If Democrats see fit to listen to the America people and exclude these criminals and gang members from receiving green cards under H.R.6, then they should vote for this Motion To Recommit to ensure those dangerous individuals are denied a safe haven here in our neighborhoods and communities where our children go to school and play.

Democrats blocked Stauber’s motion, with 203 Republicans in favor of the motion and 216 votes against the motion.

Republicans offered this motion last congressional term when Democrats brought up the American Dream and Promise Act.

Five Democrats, Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN), Jared Golden (D-ME), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Josh Harder (D-CA), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) voted in favor of the Republican motion in 2019.

On Thursday, all five Democrats voted against Stauber’s motion to ensure that gang members cannot receive amnesty.