Zoe Lofgren: “Either this bill does nothing because it is vague or it does something that is a serious problem. In the committee…”

“Either this bill does nothing because it is vague or it does something that is a serious problem. In the committee report for this bill, it specifically calls out as something that is wrong the DREAM Act, apparently suggesting that the DREAMers should be deported. Now, I don't believe that what happened with the DREAMers, the deferred action, was beyond the President's authority. And I have this letter here that was sent in 1999 signed by the late Henry Hyde and two Republicans who went on to chair the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Smith and Mr. Sensenbrenner, urging then-President Clinton to do the same thing that President Obama has now done, which is to come up with actual standards that are then applied. So I don't think that this bill should change that. But let's say it does. Let's say that we would have to report each time a DREAMer applies for deferred action. I think what we are talking about is that 500,000 or so DREAMers, their names and addresses, would have to be reported in to the Congress. Is that really what we want to do, to have all those kids be reported in to the Congress? Let's talk about another thing mentioned in the earlier bill, specifically on page 14 in the committee report, the so-called point 3, unlawful extension of parole in place. What the President did--as prior Presidents have done--is to parole the immediate family, the husbands and wives, of American soldiers who are in immigration trouble.…”