Politics

Kochs Push Protections For Dreamers: ‘Right Thing To Do’ [VIDEO]

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Robert Donachie Capitol Hill and Health Care Reporter
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The political wing of Charles and David Koch’s libertarian network is launching a seven-figure ad campaign to urge members of Congress to come up with legal protections for DREAMers.

The LIBRE Initiative and Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce announced the ad buy, which includes broadcast, cable and targeted digital ads, late Tuesday afternoon.

“The American people deserve a government that is effective and efficient in solving our nation’s problems. Congress and the White House have spent a lot of time talking about DACA, but today our elected officials have yet to approve a permanent legislative solution,” Daniel Garza, president of the LIBRE Initiative, said in a statement. “The Dreamers are among our best and brightest. They are students, workers, and men and women risking their lives in the Armed Forces. Washington must come together and approve a bipartisan solution.”

Congress has, more or less, dropped the immigration discussion since both chambers passed an appropriations bill in late March. As the Koch groups note, there were rumors Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer offered the president $25 billion for border security in exchange for legal protections for Dreamers and members of their immediate family.

“Achieving a permanent solution for Dreamers is simply the right thing to do – these are people who know this country as their only home. Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed their commitment to a resolution, and the recent proposal that provides permanency for Dreamers and $25 billion in border security is one that President Trump and Congress should take,” James Davis, executive vice president of Freedom Partners, said in a statement.

The Kochs are hoping the ad campaign will “break the partisan gridlock” and reinvigorate the debate over Dreamers.

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Democrats shut down the government for a weekend in early February to try to secure legal protections and a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers, but ultimately caved and reopened the government the following Monday.

Editors Note: Robert Donachie was a Koch Associate in 2016-2017. 

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