Peter Roskam, Republican Representative of suburban Chicago’s sixth Congressional District, is worried about immigration. So worried, he did something completely out of character for a Republican who votes with Trump 93.5% of the time. He voted against an immigration bill introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Republican Bob Goodlatte of Virginia. There were 193 Republicans who voted for the bill with no Democrats voting for it.
Has our intrepid Republican Representative Peter Roskam suddenly developed a conscience and a deep caring for immigrants and Dreamers? Not a chance:
Casten campaign manager Michael Garton told the Chicago Sun-Times that they project the Hispanic vote in the west suburban 6th Congressional District seat to be between five and eight percent, a big enough bloc to be a factor in the high- profile battle.
Garton told me that the Casten campaign is “specifically targeting the Hispanic community,” and has been running immigration related ads on Facebook and websites.
I’m sure it’s pure coincidence that suddenly Peter Roskam, who votes with Trump and the Republican majority 93.5% of the time, is all of a sudden so concerned about immigrants and Dreamers that he’d buck the Republican party line and vote with Democrats when his Democratic opponent has made immigrant and Dreamers a core issue of his campaign. I’m sure the fact the bill was going to fail anyway had nothing to do with the political cover Roskam was after as well.
After all, if Roskam’s concern about immigrants and Dreamers was so sincere, why didn’t he sign on to the bipartisan petition to force a vote on four bipartisan immigration bills, including one specifically to protect Dreamers?
However, Roskam declined to sign a petition drive backed by Democrats and moderate Republicans that would have gone around House GOP leadership and forced votes on four immigration measures –including one with Dreamer protections – with the bill with the most votes advancing to the Senate.
Roskam’s faux-concern vote, far from showing caring for Dreamers and immigrants, effectively allows Republicans to kill the petition to move these bills forward and provides him political cover by voting against a bill that was going to fail anyway.
But why wouldn’t Roskam sign the discharge petition to force votes on four immigration bills, including one specifically for protection of Dreamers? Behold the Roskam logic:
Roskam’s reason for not signing the discharge petition as of June 14 was that he was waiting, his office told me, to review legislation to “secure our borders and secure a future for our Dreamers.”
Roskam suddenly cares about immigration and Dreamers! He cares so much that he won’t sign a discharge petition to force a vote on four immigration bills, including one that specifically provides protection for Dreamers. Makes total sense and I’m sure has nothing to do with the Democrat he’s running against supporting immigration and Dreamer protections in a district with 5-8% hispanic voters. No, not at all. Can somebody lend Melania’s coat to Pete for his political cover story?
From the Roskam-speak, you can see what Roskam is really concerned about. When he says “secure our borders...” you know he’s reverting back to form in supporting Trump 93.5% of the time. Trump wants his big beautiful wall and Roskam and the Republicans are more than willing to take Dreamers hostage to get your tax dollars to pay for it:
The House GOP leaders had to push to next week a vote on a compromise immigration measure being negotiated between conservatives and moderates, with the delay caused by an inability to make a deal that can protect “Dreamers”– youths in the U.S. illegally through no fault of the their own – and pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall.
If only there was a scientist with degrees in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Biochemical Engineering that truly supports protection for immigrants and Dreamers who could unseat a dishonst Republican like Roskam.
Oh wait, there is. The guy's name is Sean Casten and he's running to unseat Roskam in IL-06. Sean and I could use your help retire dishonest Republicans like Roskam who only care about immigrants and Dreamers when they can hold them hostage for a big beautiful border will that will cost American tax payers billions.