President Obama hosted so-called Dreamers at the White House on Wednesday, vowing to keep new protections for the young illegal immigrants in place and veto any attempts by Republicans to roll back his executive action deferring millions of deportations.
“I want to be as clear as possible: I will veto any legislation that got to my desk that took away the chance of these young people who grew up here and who are prepared to contribute to this country that would prevent them from doing so,” Obama said from the Oval Office, surrounded by a handful of Dream Act-eligible immigrants. “And I am confident that I can uphold that veto.”
Obama has devoted much of his time this week to lambasting GOP efforts to use funding for the Department of Homeland Security as a bargaining chip for concessions from the White House on immigration.
But rather than negotiate with Republicans on DHS funding, set to expire late February, Obama is vowing to veto any legislation challenging his executive action.
The Senate attempted to fund Homeland Security while rolling back Obama’s unilateral action, but Democrats in the upper chamber blocked such legislation from moving forward Tuesday.
Obama’s event with the young undocumented immigrants represented the latest component of the White House strategy to paint Republicans as out of touch on immigration.
Throughout the week, Obama has argued that Republicans are making the country less safe by essentially putting DHS funding in jeopardy. Now, he is accusing Republicans of lacking compassion for illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States at a young age.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in America who’s had a chance to talk to these six young people who or the young Dreamers all across the country who wouldn’t find it in their heart to say these kids are Americans just like us and they belong here and we want to do right by them,” he said.
And Obama also sought to assure so-called Dreamers that a future president would not undo his executive action, even though it lacks the permanence of law.
“And to all the Dreamers who are out there and all those who qualify for my executive action moving forward,” Obama said, “I want you to know that I am confident in my ability to implement this program over the next two years, and I’m confident that the next president and the next Congress and the American people will ultimately recognize why this is the right thing to do.”
