Lee Zeldin Says Trump Was Right To Kill DACA
Rep. Lee Zeldin, one of two Republicans in Congress, said he supports President Trump’s decision to kill DACA — but is open to Congress passing a similar measure.
“If the Obama administration wanted to implement the DACA program, it should have made the case to Congress and try to pass its proposal into law,” Zeldin (R-New York) said in a statement. “The administration absolutely did not have the authority to write its own ‘laws.’”
He said allowing the children of undocumented immigrants to stay in the U.S. is something Congress should have decided.
“If the proposal did not have the support to pass, then it should not go into effect,” he said. “That is how our process is designed and must be respected.”
Zeldin said he is “open” to debating the issue with his colleagues, but he suggested he’s not happy with the concept.
“[My] priority will always unapologetically remain with fighting for the people following the laws rather than the ones breaking them.”
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO