Zeldin Speaks On DACA; Opponent Fires Back

NORTH FORK, NY — After President Donald Trump's announcement of his plan to officially end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA — a plan that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children — residents have spoken out on both sides of the issue.

The DACA policy was implemented in 2012 by the President Barack Obama administration, allowing undocumented immigrants who'd entered the United States as children to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and become eligible for a work permit, Zeldin said.

"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. The administration absolutely did not have the authority to write its own 'laws'," he said.

Watch: The Trump Administration Just Announced The End Of DACA

"I support legal immigration. I oppose illegal immigration," Zeldin said. "If you want to come to America and pursue the American dream, follow the rules. If you commit a crime and are deported, don't come back. Every nation's backbone is its rule of law. It is great to pursue the American dream and to consider yourself a 'dreamer' and everyone in the United States legally should consider themselves 'dreamers', but you have to follow our laws. Period. We should not reward or excuse criminal behavior."

Many, Zeldin said, find the situation related to minors illegally in the country to be the most challenging.

"Many of these children involuntarily came to our country very young, have been here for a long time, go through our education system, love our country and are looking to stay here and greatly contribute to our economy and nation's future. What I struggle with the most is how you can possibly allow someone illegally in our country to be given preference over someone who is not in our country solely, because that individual abroad is following the rules and respecting our laws and as a result they are not yet here," Zeldin said.

The congressman said he is "completely open" to a debate in Congress and amongst Americans on how to strengthen immigration laws, a system he believes is "flawed."

"My priority will always unapologetically remain with fighting for the people following the laws, rather than the ones breaking them," Zeldin said.

He added, "As far as how to tackle this massive issue, when you have a leak, are you someone who turns off the faucet first or cleans up the leak first? I'm someone who believes that you should turn off the faucet first. We absolutely should attempt to completely resolve the challenges associated with all of the many millions of Americans who are in our country illegally, but not first without ensuring that the challenge doesn't multiply despite anyone's best of intentions to do what in their heart they truly believe is right. I can think of various circumstances where deportation won't be the solution, but a blanket rewarding and incentivizing of bad behavior is going to lead to even more abuse of our immigration system by others."

Zeldin says the goal must be to secure the entry process into the United States, and to strengthen interior enforcement.

He said he's willing to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a solution.

"I would also strongly encourage anyone on the opposite side of this debate to keep to themselves the character assassinations, name calling, partisan threats and over the top sound bite spin, because if you truly want to work out an agreement for progress, that is absolutely not at all how to get there," Zeldin said.

Meanwhile, Vivian Viloria Fisher, who is challenging Zeldin for his seat, called on Zeldin to support passage of the DREAM Act in the aftermath of the Trump administration's announcement that the DACA program would be terminated after a six-month delay.

"These young people, in applying for DACA, sought to reaffirm what they already knew — that they are Americans. As children, they did not make the conscious decision to come to this country without authorization. These Dreamers have already been fully vetted by the federal government and are productive members of our society." said Viloria Fisher. “There is nothing to gain and everything to lose by sending these dreamers to a country that they have never known, while taking with them the educational investment that we have made in them.”

The DREAM Act, intended to legalize undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, passed the House of Representatives in 2010, but failed to overcome Republican opposition in the Senate. The Obama administration enacted DACA, protecting the same population as the DREAM Act, in 2012, due to Congress' failure to act, she said.

"To expose the Dreamers to deportation and to rob them of their legal status is a cruel trick to play on the young, who put their faith in our government by applying for DACA in the first place. Any person who believes in the sanctity of life and the vulnerability of children should be outraged by this punitive act against innocents who played no role in the circumstances that led them to this country," Viloria Fisher said. "I call upon Representative Lee Zeldin to join his colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, in passing the DREAM Act."