Dreamers in the military

The failure of the House of Representatives up until now to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill like the one the Senate approved opens up an opportunity to approve parts of a reform, as the Republican leadership has proposed. However, not even the possibility of regularizing the situation of Dreamers enlisted in the military is free of obstacles.

California GOP Rep. Jeff Denham is sponsoring the ENLIST Act, which would provide residency to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and enlist in the military. The strategy is to include this bill as an amendment to the defense budget that the House will be considering over the next few weeks.

If we can’t have everything, having something is positive. Vocal petitions from the Dreamers have awakened the most sympathy among Republican ranks. Nevertheless, Alabama GOP Rep. Mo Brooks is waging a campaign to stop this bill. In a letter to his colleagues, he asked them not to include unrelated provisions and denounced the proposal as a sort of amnesty.

This is another controversy that has divided the Republican legislative majority. We hope it gets decided in favor of Denham’s proposal, since it would help many young people who have sacrificed to serve the country they consider their homeland.

Approving this amendment will also show a more reasonable image when it comes to immigration than the vote last year by the full House in favor of deporting the Dreamers. It would show positive evolution.

However, that is up to the Republicans and no one else. They will be the ones who decide whether to define the immigration issue only with hysterical accusations of amnesty and the intention of deporting millions of people, or if they will approach it seriously and with the cool-headed analysis worthy of an issue that is so important for our country’s economy and future.