CATASTROPHE OF SOME KIND. >> GARRETT HAAKE FOR US THERE ON
THE HILL. THANK YOU.
LET'S BRING IN FLORIDA REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN, CARLOS
ARE YOU BELLO. IT INCLUDES THE FLORIDA KEYS AND
MIAMI. HOW ARE YOUR CONSTITUENTS DOING.
HOW IS YOUR FAMILY DOING? I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE STILL DOWN
THERE. WHAT SORT OF PRECAUTIONS ARE
BEING TAKEN? >> GOOD AFTERNOON, CRAIG.
WE ARE BRACING FOR THIS STORM. THERE'S A LOT OF IMPORTANT WORK
TO DO HERE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AS YOU KNOW.
BUT I'M HEADED HOME, EITHER THIS EVENING OR EARLY TOMORROW
MORNING, BECAUSE I HAVE A WIFE AND TWO DAUGHTERS AND MY PARENTS
AND ALL OF MY FAMILY IN MIAMI. AND WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR THIS
STORM. I'M ASKING EVERYONE TO PAY CLOSE
ATTENTION TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES. IF YOU LIVE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS,
YOU HAVE TO EVACUATE. THE STORM IS A MAJOR RISK FOR
THE FLORIDA KEYS, AND ISLAND CHAIN.
SO WE JUST MARKED A FEW WEEKS AGO THE 25-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF
HURRICANE ANDREW. AND TO BE STARING DOWN A STORM
EVEN GREATER AND STRONGER IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR OUR AREA.
BUT FLORIDA KNOWS HOW TO DO SOMETHING WELL, IT'S PREPARING
FOR STORMS, PREPARING FOR THESE TYPES OF NATURAL DISASTERS.
SO I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO FARE AS WELL AS ANY
COMMUNITY COULD UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.
>> I WANT TO MOVE ON TO THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION YESTERDAY
TO END DACA. THAT LEAVES ROUGHLY 800,000
PEOPLE AT RISK OF BEING DEPORTED IF CONGRESS DOES NOT ACT IN SIX
MONTHS. YOU REFILED WHAT'S CALLED THE
RECOGNIZING AMERICA'S CHILDREN ACT.
RACA, IF YOU WILL, EARLIER THIS YEAR.
A NEW VERSION OF THE D.R.E.A.M. ACT.
WHAT WOULD YOUR BILL DO? WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THAT BILL?
>> WELL, LOOK, I WAS DISAPPOINTED IN THE DECISION,
BECAUSE I THINK THE EXECUTIVE ORDER SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT IN
PLACE WHILE CONGRESS WORKED ON A SOLUTION.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN SIX MONTHS.
SO I DO AT LEAST RECOGNIZE THAT THE WHITE HOUSE HAS GIVEN
CONGRESS SOME TIME. AND THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
EXPLICIT. HE IS CALLING FOR A SOLUTION.
HE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE ANY OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE AT THE RISK
OF BEING DEPORTED. MY LEGISLATION, IT OFFERS THREE
PATHS TO THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE BROUGHT TO THIS COUNTRY
THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. IT'S CALLED THE RECOGNIZING
AMERICA'S CHILDREN ACT, BECAUSE I BELIEVE, LIKE MOST AMERICANS
BELIEVE, THAT THESE KIDS, THESE YOUNG PEOPLE, ARE AMERICANS.
THEY WENT TO THE SAME SCHOOLS THAT A LOT OF US WENT TO.
THEY'RE WORKING IN THIS COUNTRY. THEY'RE CONTRIBUTING TO THIS
COUNTRY. THEY LOVE IT, JUST AS MUCH AS
THE REST OF US WHO WERE BORN HERE DO.
SO THEY EITHER HAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE OR TO A VOCATIONAL
SCHOOL AND EARN A DEGREE. THEY HAVE TO SERVE THREE YEARS
IN THE MILITARY, AND RECEIVE AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE.
OR THEY HAVE TO PROVE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED FOR FOUR
YEARS DURING THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD WHERE THEY WOULD BE
CONDITIONAL LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENTS.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE HERE TO
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR COUNTRY. WHICH MOST OF THEM ARE.
IF THEY HAVE COMMITTED FELONIES, IF THEY'RE A PUBLIC CHARGE IN
ANY WAY, THEY WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE.
BUT WE WANT TO REWARD AND RECOGNIZE THE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT
ARE ENERGIZING THIS COUNTRY, CONTRIBUTING TO THIS COUNTRY.
AND, AGAIN, WHO I CONSIDER TO BE AMERICANS.
>> YOU ARE A REPUBLICAN WHO IS ESSENTIALLY CALLING FOR AMNESTY.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CHOICE WORD OF THE DAY IS.
>> PATH TO CITIZENSHIP. >> SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO USE.
BUT, AGAIN, SOME PEOPLE SAY, WELL, PERHAPS THIS IS DE FACTO
AMNESTY. AND MY RESPONSE TO THAT IS THESE
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DE FACTO AMERICANS.
>> WELL, CONGRESSMAN -- LET'S NOT DANCE AROUND IT THEN.
WHY NOT JUST CALL IT WHAT IT IS? WHY NOT JUST SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT,
YES. I DO BELIEVE THAT THEY DESERVE A
PATH TO CITIZENSHIP? I'M OKAY WITH DE FACTO AMNESTY?
WHY NOT JUST SAY THAT? >> WELL, THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN
THE 1986 REAGAN BILL, WHICH IS TYPICALLY CALLED THE REAGAN
AMNESTY. BECAUSE THIS IS AN EARNED PATH.
AND THE THREE WAYS THAT I JUST OUTLINED ARE THE WAYS THAT THIS
LEGAL STATUS IN THE UNITED STATES CAN BE EARNED.
AND WE DON'T THINK THESE BLANKET AMNESTY POLICIES ARE GOOD IDEAS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE COMING TO OUR
COUNTRY OR WHO ARE IN OUR COUNTRY ARE HERE BECAUSE THEY
WANT TO CONTRIBUTE. WHICH MOST OF THEM ARE.
BUT, BY THE WAY, CRAIG, THIS IS GAINING STEAM HERE IN THE
CONGRESS. ALREADY 26 REPUBLICANS IN THE
HOUSE HAVE SIGNED ON TO THIS LEGISLATION.
>> NOW, CONGRESSMAN -- >> EIGHT NEW CO SPONSORS JUST
THIS WEEK. SO I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT THIS
IS GOING TO BE IN PLAY LATER THIS YEAR.
>> CONGRESSMAN, HERE'S A CONGRESS THAT HASN'T BEEN ABLE
TO PASS COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM IN 16 YEARS.
YOU COULDN'T REPEAL AND REPLACE, DESPITE SPENDING THE BETTER PART
OF SEVEN YEARS PROMISING TO DO THAT, EVEN THOUGH YOU CONTROL
BOTH HOUSES IN THE WHITE HOUSE. IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE 800,000
OR SO D.R.E.A.M.ers WATCHING OR LISTENING, WHY WOULDN'T YOU BE
TERRIFIED THAT LAWMAKERS ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIX IT THIS
TIME? >> CRAIG, YOU'RE ABOUT MY AGE.
I THINK YOU'RE A LITTLE TOO YOUNG TO BE SO CYNICAL ALREADY.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS. THERE ARE REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS WORKING TOGETHER ON THIS ISSUE, IN THE CONGRESS
TODAY. SPEAKER RYAN HAS CALLED FOR A
PERMANENT SOLUTION. THE PRESIDENT HAS CALLED FOR A
PERMANENT SOLUTION. SO YOU'RE RIGHT.
THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES IN CONGRESS.
BECAUSE WE HAVE 435 PEOPLE ON ONE SIDE, 100 PEOPLE ON THE
OTHER SIDE. AND WE HAVE TO COME TO AN
AGREEMENT SOMEHOW. BUT WE ARE CLOSER TO A PERMANENT
SOLUTION FOR D.R.E.A.M.ers, FOR THESE YOUNG AMERICANS, BECAUSE I
CONSIDER THEM AMERICANS, THAN WE HAVE EVER BEEN.
AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT IT'S GOING TO GET DONE.
>> I'M GOING TO HOP ON WIKIPEDIA RIGHT NOW AND CHECK YOUR AGE TO
SEE IF YOUR OPTIMISM IS INDEED JUSTIFIED.
>> AND I'M A KEY CLUBBER, TOO. >> THEY TOLD ME YOU ARE YOUNG,
SO, YES -- >> MAYBE BY A YEAR OR TWO.
>> CONGRESS