Voted to support Trump-inspired amicus brief against DACA & DAPA
Congressman Steve Knight has been singled out as a vulnerable Republican because of Donald Trump, but that didn’t stop him from adding to his long anti-immigrant record today. In a historic vote, Knight endorsed tearing apart hardworking immigrant families by sending an amicus brief on behalf of the House of Representatives to the Supreme Court against President Obama’s immigration actions.
“Knight’s vote to tear families apart reflects his Trump-like history of anti-immigrant rhetoric and record,” said Barb Solish of the DCCC. “The voters of the 25th District deserve better than another member of the Party of Trump.”
Knight has:
- Said he had no problem deporting parents whose children are citizens. [Antelope Valley Press, 5/21/08]
- Supported Arizona’s anti-immigration bill and said, “I don’t think it’s too harsh or extreme.”
- Voted against the California DREAM Act.
- Criticized public school classes for English learners, saying they burden the state.
- Said illegal immigration could be stopped by ending “handouts” like driver’s licenses and tuition breaks and opposed issuing driving-only licenses to undocumented immigrants. [Antelope Valley Press, 5/16/08; Victorville Daily Press, 6/03/09]
- Referred to providing food stamps to American children of undocumented immigrants as a “huge burden.” [San Bernardino Sun, 1/18/10]
- Said immigration reform does not need any type of pathway to residency or citizenship.
- Said the border was “number one issue” because people were crossing to “hurt our way of life.”
- Did not think the economy would collapse if immigrants were deported.
- Suggested Democrats only want to give immigrants citizenship so they will vote for Democrats.
- Voted to strip language encouraging the Defense Department to allow DREAMers to serve in uniform.
More than 36 percent of Knight’s district is Latino, and according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 332,533 young immigrants in California have been approved Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals since 2012.
Today’s vote concerns President Obama’s immigration orders: an extension to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for eligible children who had been brought to the United States through no fault of their own, and the new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), which shields eligible immigrant parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents from deportation and grants them with temporary work permits. It is estimated that unfreezing DAPA and expanded DACA would result in tens of billions of dollars in economic growth.