Monday, Dec. 25, 2017 | 2 a.m.
By joining a bipartisan group of governors advocating for “Dreamers,” Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has once again reminded us how humane, pragmatic and fair the Republican Party used to be.
Last week, Sandoval and 10 other governors sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to take quick action to protect the 750,000 children eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program — otherwise known as “Dreamers.”
Those children were brought to the U.S. by immigrant parents who were without documentation. As the governors wrote in their letter, the “Dreamers” “played no role in the decision to come here and they have known no other home but the United States.”
DACA shielded them from being deported, but they lost that protection in September when President Donald Trump issued an order phasing out the program. Since October, the governors said, more than 12,000 “Dreamers” have lost their protective status and have become susceptible to deportation. More than 100 are losing their DACA protections daily, the letter said.
Meanwhile, congressional lawmakers have failed to craft a permanent replacement for the program. Although there was speculation that Democrats might press for a resolution on DACA late last week as Congress considered a spending bill that would prevent a government shutdown, several media reports indicated that congressional negotiators had agreed to put off the issue until January. As of press time for The Sunday, there had been no movement on DACA.
In the absence of progress in Congress, Sandoval and his fellow governors urged lawmakers to “come together quickly to shape a bipartisan solution that allows our ‘Dreamers’ to remain in the United States and continue their constructive contributions to our society.”
“We stand with these young American immigrants not only because it is good for our communities and a strong American 21st century economy, but also because it is the right thing for our nation to do,” the letter went on to say.
“As you know, DACA recipients have subjected themselves to extensive background and security checks in order to work and attend college. They are studying to be teachers, doctors and scientists at our universities. They are working to support themselves and their families, paying taxes and contributing to their communities. ... In the absence of congressional action providing for a permanent resolution, the termination of DACA puts these young people and their families in peril, and will destabilize our schools, workplaces and communities.”
In Nevada, where there are about 13,000 people participating in DACA, such major employers as MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment have urged Congress to resolve the matter and let “Dreamers” stay. That speaks to how much they’re contributing to our economy and how valuable they are to our state’s employers.
Nationally, as reflected in figures from Nevada U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s office, deporting “Dreamers” would cost the economy $433 billion over the next decade. Then there are the costs involved in finding, detaining and deporting those individuals — nearly $10 billion, as estimated by Brookings Institution researchers.
There’s also the human cost, which is incalculable. Many “Dreamers” have little if any connection to their countries of origin. Some don’t speak languages other than English or have connections in foreign lands beyond distant relatives.
Kicking them out would be inhumane, unfair and counterproductive. Among our nation’s core strengths is providing opportunities for the best and brightest visitors; it’s un-American not to keep “Dreamers” on a path to success.
So it’s a relief and an inspiration to see leaders like Sandoval stand up for them. The group of governors included four other Republicans, five Democrats and an independent.
As Trump, Steve Bannon, Roy Moore and others steer the Republican Party and the nation toward nationalism and fuel racial division, Sandoval and the bipartisan group that teamed with him have given us a ray of hope at Christmastime.
