Dozens of Democratic lawmakers (and one centrist Republican) are bringing “Dreamers” to President Trump’s State of the Union speech as their guests, and a GOP Rep. is calling for them to be arrested on the spot.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) said he’s asked the Capitol Police and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to check the IDs of everyone attending the SOTU an to arrest anyone in the country illegally.
“Today, Congressman Paul Gosar contacted the U.S. Capitol Police, as well as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asking they consider checking identification of all attending the State of the Union address and arresting any illegal aliens in attendance,” read a tweet from Gosar’s official Twitter account.
Today, Congressman Paul Gosar contacted the U.S. Capitol Police, as well as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asking they consider checking identification of all attending the State of the Union address and arresting any illegal aliens in attendance.
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) January 30, 2018
According to a spokesperson for House Speaker Paul Ryan, Gosar’s request is likely not going to go into effect, saying that Ryan “clearly does not agree” with Gosar’s suggestion.
As The Hill points out, roughly 700,000 qualifying immigrants received temporary work permits through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
They are at risk of deportation unless Congress acts on a permanent fix or if Trump were to reinstate the program.
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), a centrist running for reelection in a district won by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintonin 2016, is so far the only GOP lawmaker bringing a DACA recipient as his State of the Union guest.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), who supports a path to citizenship for Dreamers, slammed Gosar’s for his comments, tweeting, “Oh my goodness, RepGosar. Dreamers don’t pose a threat to us. This is so drastic and cruel.”
Last week, the Trump administration revealed a plan to grant nearly 2 million immigrants brought to the U.S.illegally as children a path to citizenship. The plan was offered in exchange for $25 million to build Trump’s promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border along with new restrictions on legal immigration.
Featured image via YouTube/VICE News
