In late June, 24 House Democrats defected from their party line to help Republicans in the lower chamber pass Kate’s Law, a bill that increases penalties for deported felons who return to the United States illegally.
Now, those lawmakers are facing blowback from Democratic allies who oppose the bipartisan bill.
“I think it’s shameful that these members, this handful of Democrats, decided to stand with Donald Trump instead of with Latinos and immigrants — instead of their own constituents,” said Latino Victory Project President Cristóbal Alex in an interview with The Hill. The Latino Victory Project was co-founded by actress Eva Longoria in 2014 as a “nonpartisan effort” aimed at “[building] political power within the Latino community.”
Noting how closely his organization works with BOLD PAC, the political action committee of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Alex intimated leaders of that group felt similarly. “I’m dismayed, and I can only imagine how upset members of BOLD PAC can be, given they worked so hard to get these resources,” he asserted.
Six of the Democrats who voted for Kate’s Law received campaign contributions from BOLD PAC.
Senate Republicans need eight Democrats to send the bill to Trump’s desk. Three Democrats voted for a version of the law last year, and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., has signaled she’s likely to support it as well, leaving the GOP in need of four additional votes from their counterparts.
While Trump Country Democrats could benefit from striking a compromise with Republicans and the president on legislation such as Kate’s Law, potential attacks from hardline groups could be a powerful deterrent to bipartisanship.
That’s too bad. Even House Democrats acknowledged the strengths of Kate’s Law before the lower chamber’s vote on the bill last month, whipping against it with less rigor based on a stated understanding that opposing the legislation could harm vulnerable members of their party.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
