Republicans Tom Cotton, David Perdue Want Tougher Immigration Language in DACA Deal

GOP Sens. David Perdue (GA) & Tom Cotton (AR)
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite via article)

by Anna Giaritelli: Two Republican senators are lobbying senators to include their bill creating a merit-based immigration system in any bill to protect immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Spokespeople for Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia confirmed to the Washington Examiner the lawmakers are educating colleagues about the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act. They hope to make the case for the proposal and swing enough members of the GOP majorities to insist it be added if the Senate takes up the so-called Dream Act.

Democrats are demanding action to help younger illegal immigrants because President Trump has said he would rescind the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

"Any congressional solution for DACA should also include the RAISE Act, which Trump endorsed and has broad national support," a spokesperson for Perdue said Friday.

Cotton has also called for the RAISE Act should be included in any DACA deal.

"He appreciates that President Trump pointed House Democrats and Republicans to the RAISE Act during their discussion on DACA legislation earlier this week and he looks forward to working with all colleagues on including the RAISE Act's provisions into a DACA-related bill," said Caroline Rabbitt, Cotton's communications director.

On Tuesday, Cotton said he would oppose a clean extension of DACA if his bill is not attached to a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

"But we must recognize that codifying the DACA program will have two negative consequences: encouraging future illegal immigration with minors and allowing those 800,000 people to obtain legal status for their family members via chain migration, which rewards the very people who broke the law in the first place and further depresses working-class wages," Cotton said. "Thus, we must mitigate these consequences by stopping the chain migration that hurts the working class and by strengthening the enforcement of our immigration laws."

President Trump mentioned the RAISE Act during discussions with Republicans and Democrats earlier this week. On Friday, Trump seemed to support Cotton and Perdue's requests for action on the RAISE Act. He tweeted that he would not support any legislation that allows relatives of immigrants to be admitted into the United States.

Democrats this week indicated that they would be able to work out a deal with Trump that creates a legislative version of DACA, in return for tougher border security. But the deal as described by Democrats mostly favored their position: they said they would insist on a path to citizenship for Dreamers, and said the border measure they could support is essentially language calling on the government to create a border enforcement plan.

Republicans are likely to see that deal as too one-sided, and the effort by Cotton and Perdue is a sign that the GOP will need much tougher language on the border or immigration before they could accept the deal.

Since Democrats are asking for citizenship, not amnesty for DACA recipients, conservatives may be able to throw in a few more requests, which could be the enhanced push behind the RAISE Act.

The RAISE Act marks a new approach to immigration reform than Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida had attempted in 2013 with the "Gang of Eight" bill. It is the most significant type of green card reform since the GOP-majority Congress unsuccessfully tried to cut immigration numbers with a provision in 1996.

The current immigration system often benefits family members of current U.S. residents, but Perdue and Cotton are pushing to weigh the skill sets of potential candidates and favor those with more skills and industry needs.

Family immigration categories would be narrowed to no longer include extended family members and adult children of U.S. citizens. However, citizens are able to apply for renewable, temporary visas for elderly parents.

If passed, the 1 million legal immigrants who enter the U.S. annually would drop to somewhere between 500,000 and 600,000 people by 2027, putting it in line with historic norms.
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Anna Giaritelli is a breaking news reporter for the Washington Examiner. She previously reported for CQ Roll Call and Cox Media Group. She served as press secretary for an immigration policy group on Capitol Hill before returning to journalism. Senator Tom Cotton represents Arlansas - home of the ARRA News Service.

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