Mediaboss Marketing

WASHINGTON Rep. Don Bacon said he understands that some immigrant families are fearful about the Trump administrations approach to immigration enforcement.

As he travels across the Omaha-based 2nd District, the freshman Republican congressman said, he hears from people who could be affected either because they are not legal immigrants, or because they have relatives who are here illegally.

In particular, he cited young people who were brought into the country as children or even as babies and are now worried whether President Donald Trump will continue to shield them from deportation, as the Obama administration did through its executive order known as DACA.

Theyre obviously in a tough situation, and we ought to try to provide some kind of assurance to them, Bacon said.

Bacon said that while any action on those in the country illegally must go hand in hand with better border security and workplace enforcement, hed like to see a compassionate, balanced approach and he would like to see it sooner rather than later.

But such legislation is unlikely to come quickly, Bacon and other Midlands lawmakers acknowledged.

Immigration will be difficult for us to get done this year, according to Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., who said the 2017 legislative calendar will be packed as Congress tackles health care and taxes, processes nominations and works through the federal budget.

And Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., a member of the Judiciary Committee that would handle any immigration bill, said the issue isnt at the top of the list. In a statement, Sasse said the committee is focused now on reviewing judicial nominees, including Neil Gorsuch, Trumps pick for the Supreme Court.

After the campaign, I dont think many conservatives were expecting President Trump to suggest immigration reform right out of the gate, Sasse said. But I do think that the goals of strengthening border security and restoring the rule of law are things conservatives have been saying for years, and thats where I start to approach the issue.

Bacon, whose congressional district is relatively balanced between Democrats and Republicans, often has described immigration as an area where he differs from more conservative GOP colleagues.

Bacon supports legislation known as the BRIDGE Act that would explicitly allow those covered by DACA Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals to remain in the United States while Congress works on a broader solution. Bacon is the only co-sponsor of that bill from Nebraska or Iowa in the House or Senate.

And some conservatives are chafing at the fact that Trump has yet to rescind the DACA executive order signed when President Barack Obama was in office. That includes Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who has long been outspoken about immigration enforcement.

Each day the administration fails to act on DACA, King said, it becomes more difficult to change it a point he plans to press with the White House.

I hope to have that conversation soon, King said.

While there have been rumblings that the Trump administration might be open to some kind of bipartisan immigration deal that would give legal status to some illegal immigrants, King said he was pleased to see the president leave that kind of talk out of his recent address to Congress.

His message was the rule of law, restore the rule of law, restore the respect for the rule of law thats all stuff that Ive said for a long time, King said.

Bacon said he can envision a bipartisan consensus to provide a pathway to legal status for many of those in the country illegally, although he stops short of saying that would mean full citizenship.

But first, he said, the government must provide tougher enforcement for those currently entering the U.S. illegally, either by crossing the border or overstaying their visas, and focus on stopping employers from hiring those in the country illegally.

If the American people dont see the border security side of the equation addressed, he said, they wont be willing to support a plan for the millions already in the country.

If we can get that security part down, I think it opens up the doors for an easier discussion for DACA and the other folks who are working here and are good neighbors, Bacon said. Weve got to do both, but people have got to know up-front that the problems being fixed. And when that happens, I think more people will be more amenable to finding a consensus on working with those that are here already that are undocumented.

Congress has wrestled with a comprehensive immigration package twice in the past decade or so. Both times, the legislation passed the Senate, only to stall in the House. The last time was in 2013. Fischer voted against that bill in the Senate, as did Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Sasse and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, were not in office at the time.

Most Republican lawmakers make no bones about putting border security and enforcement at the top of their priority list.

My first concern is securing the border and making sure that we keep dangerous people out of this country, Fischer said. I view it as national security.

Grassley, who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, outlined the steps needed before Congress can consider legislation dealing with those already in the country illegally.

Those steps include securing the border with both physical and virtual measures, and bolstering the border patrol. He also called for addressing visa overstays and interior enforcement.

Which the president is vigorously doing now, but Obama did not do it getting people that are criminal aliens out of the country, Grassley told reporters last week.

He said the government has to demonstrate it is serious about enforcing immigration laws.

Weve been telling people for 20 years were going to secure the border, and there was some actions taken that kind of (we) thought we were securing the border, but its obvious we didnt, he said. So weve lost credibility.

He said hes made that point to the Trump administration. But he also added that he has no objection if Trump allows Obamas DACA approach to continue.

Hes going to let that stand, and I dont think hes going to have a lot of fuss about it, Grassley said.

Overall, he supports Trumps efforts to step up immigration enforcement.

Were talking about just enforcing the law, Grassley said.

Read this article:
Nebraska, Iowa lawmakers say immigration reform is not a top priority - Omaha World-Herald