Democrats Vote to Allow Illegal Aliens to Work in Congress
House Dems pass measure to let DACA illegal immigrants work on Capitol Hill
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House Democrats have voted to pass a bill that includes measures to allow illegal aliens to work in Congress.
This week, Democratic representatives passed a huge legislative budget.
However, tucked away in the legislative funding bill are measures that will allow members of Congress to hire illegal immigrants to work for them on Capitol Hill.
The bill "includes language to permit DACA recipients, Dreamers, to be able to work for Congress and other legislative branch agencies," Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) noted Wednesday on the House floor.
There are an estimated 800,000 "Dreamers" – children brought to the U.S. illegally - currently living in America.
Dreamers were protected from deportation under an Obama-era program - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
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A federal judge earlier this month ruled that DACA was illegal and ordered the Biden administration to cease accepting applications for the program.
Last night, Congress passed the 21% increase we asked for back in June. This is an important step towards retaining staff, increasing Hill diversity & growing the practice of paid internships. https://t.co/hQTOQoNtRk
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) July 29, 2021
Ryan heralded the bill's passage and the move to allow DACA recipients to work for Congress.
"I am proud that this legislation includes a $134 million increase for Members to hire and retain the staff needed to serve our constituents," Ryan said in a statement.
"I am also pleased that we are helping ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of our nation, including by increasing funding for paid internships and allowing DACA recipients to work in the halls of Congress."
The bill passed by a margin of 215-207 in the House.
It has yet to be voted on by the Senate, however.
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Earlier this month, a federal judge deemed the DACA program unconstitutional and ordered the Biden administration to stop all applicants.
Judge Andrew Hanen, a Texas judge, found that the Department of Homeland Security violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in creating the policy.
He found that the policy was implemented unlawfully and ordered DHS to stop approving DACA applications.
Over the past few days, Democrats, including Joe Biden, have called for a pathway to citizenship to be included in the budget package which Democrats plan to pass with or without Republican support.
