Immigration
“I think it’s easy for people like you and me who wear suits and ties and work in offices to cast aspersions on those with a tenth-grade education . . . But let’s talk about some of these folks with a tenth-grade education . . . I have had the opportunity to meet over the years many farmworkers who have had families die under brutal conditions in the heat so that you or I can have less expensive orange juice, cheaper artichokes, or less expensive garlic . . . and I just want to suggest that these people have given far more to American society than you or I ever will.” - Congressman Ted W. Lieu
More on Immigration
The Trump administration’s decision Tuesday to punt the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to Congress prompted strong criticism from South Bay elected officials to the immigration policy change that could affect tens of thousands of Californians.
Here’s a sample of the reaction from prominent local Democrats:
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“DACA is an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch.”
— Attorney General Jeff Sessions
“Only by the reliable enforcement of immigration law can we produce safe communities, a robust middle class, and economic fairness for all Americans.”
— President Donald Trump
“Congress, get ready to do your job - DACA!”
— Trump, via Twitter
As reports circulated Sunday night about President Trump's plans to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, also known as the DACA, Democrats took to Twitter to share their thoughts and reactions.
"If Trump decides to end DACA, it will be one of the ugliest and cruelest decisions ever made by a president in our modern history," tweeted Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Protests are expected to continue Monday in downtown Los Angeles amid reports President Trump plans to end support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, with a six-month delay to allow Congress to come up with an alternative.
The program, known as DACA and introduced by former President Barack Obama in 2012, allows people who were brought into the United States illegally as children to work and study in the country without fear of being deported.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement in honor of Labor Day, which will be celebrated on Monday, September 4, 2017.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif). is firing back at White House policy aide Stephen Miller’s comments on immigration, calling them "unAmerican."
“The unAmerican remarks by Stephen Miller on the Statue of Liberty suggests that when he says Make America Great Again, he means the 1800s,” Lieu tweeted late Wednesday.
Miller at a White House briefing earlier Wednesday defended an immigration plan backed by President Trump that would limit immigration. The measure would favor a “merit-based” immigration system over the current priority given to those with family ties to the U.S.
President Donald Trump endorsed an immigration bill that would cut legal immigration by 50 percent over the next decade and overhaul the current system to prevent “low-skilled” immigrants from entering the country.
A conversation on President Trump’s border wall proposal turned into a face-off on broader issues of immigration Sunday at Politicon, the annual political convention in Pasadena.
The panel discussion, called “Mr. Trump, Tear Down this Wall,” featured the African-American activist and commentator the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson speaking in favor of the border barrier and opponents like Hector Villagra, ACLU of Los Angeles executive director, arguing against it.