WHAT GABE SHOWED EDED US, A CRIT
ISSUE FOR DEMOCRAT AIDES. WHY HAS IT BEEN SO DIFFICULT?
WHY HAS IT BEEN SO DIFFICULT?
HOW CAN IT BE FIXED?
THEY HAVE A SHARED DESIRE TO SEE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION
REFORM. GUTIERREZ, LEWIS AIKEN.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.
YOU SPENT MORE THAN TWO DECADES
IN THE HOUSE.
MUCH OF THAT TIME FIGHTING FOR
THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS AND
IMMIGRATION REFORM.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST HURDLE, THE
BIGGEST HURDLE TO PASSING SOME
SORT OF COMPREHENSIVE REFORM?
>> THE BIGGEST HURDLE IS
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE GLUE
THAT KEEPS IT TOGETHER IS TO BE
ANTI-IMMIGRANT
ANTI-IMMIGRANT, IS TO ATTACK
IMMIGRANTS AND PARTICULARLY
LATINO IMMIGRANTS.
IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT DONALD
TRUMP BEGAN HIS CAMPAIGN BY
SAYING THAT MEXICANS WERE
MURDERED, RAPISTS AND DRUG
DEALERS AND THAT WE NEEDED TO
GET RID OF THEM.
THAT’S HOW HE STARTED HIS
CAMPAIGN.
WE HAVE A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AT
OUR BORDER THAT IS OUR
RESPONSIBILITY.
I THINK IT’S TIME THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY COME.
IF NOT, THEN, LOOK, WE HAVE A
MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
WE HAVE A MAJORITY OF 50 -- YES,
50 WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT
VOTING, MAKING IT 51.
LET’S JUST SET ASIDE AND LET 51
PEOPLE VOTE.
MAKE IT HAPPEN.
THE FILIBUSTER IS WHAT IS
CAUSING US TO STOP.
BEFORE WE CONTINUE, I WANT TO
MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE, I
INTRODUCED COMPREHENSIVE
IMMIGRATION REFORM WITH JOHN
McCAIN.
I HAVE WORKED WITH REPUBLICANS
IN THE PAST.
I WANT TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH
THEM.
THE FACT IS THE PARTY TODAY HAS
USURPED BY THOSE WHO DON’T WANT.
2013 IN THE SUMMER, 67 TO 33 IT
PASSED WITH OVER TEN
REPUBLICANS.
WHY CAN’T WE GET BACK THERE?
UNFORTUNATELY, THE SPECTER OF
DONALD TRUMP AROSE IN HIS
CAMPAIGN AND BROUGHT US BACK TO
THIS UGLY SITUATION OF HATE AND
BIG
BIGOTRY.
>> HAS THE MAKEUP OF YOUR PARTY
CHANGED IN A WAY THAT PREHEN
RECEIVE --
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
IS NO LONGER FEASIBLE?
>> YOU HAVE TO HAVE EVERYTHING
ON THE TABLE.
THERE’S A BIG PIECE THAT’S NOT
BEING DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW.
THE BORDER SITUATION IS VERY
SERIOUS.
THE BORDER SITUATION EXISTED
UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA, PRESIDENT
TRUMP, PRESIDENT BUSH.
EVERYONE HAS HAD TROUBLE AT THE
BORDER.
INSTEAD OF THAT BEING A REASON
TO NOT GO FORWARD, IT SHOULD
REMIND US WE NEED IMMIGRATION
REFORM.
ON TABLE ARE AGGRESSIVE
LEGALIZATION PROPOSALS FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION.
TWO JUST PASSED THE HOUSE.
WHAT’S NOT BEING DISCUSSED IS
THE FACT THAT WHEN WE EMERGE
FROM THIS PANDEMIC, WHEN
AMERICANS GO BACK TO WORK, WE
WILL FACE THE REALITY THAT WE
HAVE AN AGING AND SLOWING
POPULATION GROWTH.
WITHOUT IMMIGRATION, WE WILL
SHRINK IN SIZE AS A NATION.
OUR ECONOMY WILL GET SMALLER.
OTHER CAPACITY TO SUPPORT OUR
RETIEREERE
RETIREES WILL BE DIMINISHED.
REFORM OF THE CORE VISA SYSTEM
TO REWARD THE SKILLS AND TALENTS
THAT WILL ALLOW THIS NATION TO
HAVE PROSPERITY IN THE FUTURE.
THAT PIECE HAS BEEN LEFT OUT.
I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE ON THE
TABLE TO GET PEOPLE TO THE POINT
WHERE THEY CAN MAKE A DEAL.
>> REFORMING THE VISA SYSTEM.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE ALLUDING
TO SOMETHING ELSE THAT I WANTED
TO ASK YOU ABOUT.
THE MORE EXTREME VOICES HAVE
BEEN CRITICAL OF -- EVEN
DEMONIZED THOSE WHO WOULD SEEK
REFUGE IN THE UNITED STATES.
I WANT TO READ SOMETHING YOU
WROTE.
IMMIGRATION REFORM BODES WELL
FOR TAXPAYERS, JOB CREATION AND
ECONOMIC GROWTH.
THE MORE THAN 800,000 RECIPIENTS
OF DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD
ARRIVALS CONTRIBUTE OVER $3
BILLION TO THE FEDERAL BALANCE
SHEET AND MORE THAN $40 BILLION
IN OUR ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY
EVERY YEAR.
THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY, AS YOU KNOW,
THOSE ARE NOT THE FOLKS THAT YOU
WORKED WITH, LIKE SENATOR
McCAIN, FORMER SPEAKER PAUL RYAN
AS WELL.
THAT ECONOMIC ARGUMENT THAT YOU
MADE A FEW MOMENTS AGO, THE ONE
YOU MAKE IN THE ARTICLE, IS THAT
THE ARGUMENT TO MOVE
REPUBLICANS?
>> I THINK IT’S PART OF THE
ARGUMENT TO MOVE REPUBLICANS.
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
I JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE
THAT THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
HARSH VOICES IN THE IMMIGRATION
REFORM DEBATE.
IN THE PAST IN 2013, REPUBLICANS
CAME TOGETHER AND SAID, THAT’S
NOT US.
THOSE VOICES ARE OUT THERE, BUT
THAT’S NOT WHAT THE PARTY IS.
THAT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN.
IF WE PUT TOGETHER THE RIGHT
ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL,
REPUBLICANS CAN SUPPORT IT.
THOSE VOICES CAN BE REMINDED
THAT THAT’S NOT WHO THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY IS AND THAT’S
NOT OUR FUTURE.
>> CONGRESSMAN --
>> I WANT TO THANK HIM FOR THOSE
WORDS.
I THINK THEY’RE IMPORTANT.
TWO THINGS, I SEE MY CHILDREN IN
THOSE CHILDREN THAT ARE CROSSING
THE BORDER.
I SEE CHILDREN OF THE HOLOCAUST
WHO WANT TO COME TO AMERICA.
I WOULD SAY OPEN THE DOORS TO
THEM.
HUNGRY CHILDREN FROM IRELAND WHO
CAME TO OUR COUNTRY.
I SEE CHILDREN AND THE HUMANITY
OF OUR NATION IN THE PAST.
WE SHOULD HAVE THE SAME HUMANITY
TODAY.
THEY ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITY
TODAY.
LET’S REMEMBER SOMETHING THAT NO
ONE EVER WANTS TO TALK ABOUT.
THE REASON THAT THERE’S A
COLLAPSE OF THE ECONOMY IS
DRUGS.
DRUGS AND DRUGS.
THOSE DRUGS ARE CONSUMED IN THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
IT’S THE CONSUMPTION OF THOSE
DRUGS, THAT FORCE THEM TO FLEE
THE VIOLENCE.
IMAGINE IF IT WAS YOUR DAUGHTER
THAT WAS TO BE PUT OUT AND RAPED
AND MUTILATED, YOUR CHILDREN PUT
OUT TO SELL DRUGS.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
I WOULD GET TO THAT RIVER AND I
WOULD TAKE THEM TO THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA AND SEEK
ASYLUM AND REFUGE.
ANY PARENT WOULD.
WE MUST LOOK AT THIS IN A
HOLISTIC FASHION.
WHAT AFFECTS THEM AFFECTS US.
WHAT AFFECTS US AFFECTS THEM.
I LOVE HAVING THIS -- THANK YOU
FOR INVITING ME TO THIS
CONVERSATION.
I SEE THAT WE CAN FIND COMMON
GROUND BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> WE WILL CONTINUE THIS
CONVERSATION.
AGAIN, YOU BOTH DON’T JUST
REPRESENT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE
POLITICAL SPECTRUM.
YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS
FOR YEARS.
YOU BOTH HAVE SENSIBLE SOLUTIONS
TO THE PROBLEM.
THIS IS A CONVERSATION WE WILL
BE HAVING AS A COUNTRY FOR THE
FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
I HOPE BOTH OF YOU WILL COME
BACK AND BE VOICES IN THAT