Progressive group targets GOP moderates on immigration

A left-leaning advocacy group on Tuesday launched a series of ads targeting moderate House Republicans and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for their role in the stagnated debate over “Dreamers.”

iAmerica Action announced it will spend $250,000 in 27 House districts, many of which have large Hispanic populations.

The campaign comes after a failure in the Senate to pass a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which President Trump rescinded in September, urging Congress to pass legislation by the end of a six-month delay. That March 5 deadline is fast approaching.

The program allows immigrants who were brought here illegally as children to stay in the country without fear of deportation.

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House leadership has pledged to whip a conservative bill introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) but has largely ignored bipartisan measures supported by many of the representatives targeted by the ad, most notably a proposal introduced by Reps. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).

The targeted ad also comes as many moderate Republicans who’ve openly supported a path forward for Dreamers voted in favor of a wide-ranging budget deal that did not include immigration provisions.

Immigration activists are incensed at what they perceive as a bad-faith effort by Republicans in Congress and the White House to give the issue lip service without putting in the political capital necessary for a compromise.

“After the White House-Republican leadership collusion to sink the bipartisan Dreamer deal, it’s clear that our work is far from over,” said iAmerica Action President Rocio Sáenz.

The ads carry a variety of messages, including a plea to not “let the White House hold Dreamers hostage to attack legal immigration,” and a call for the “party of family values” to “not separate families.”

The ads will target GOP Reps. Jeff Denham (Calif.), Steve Knight (Calif.), David Valadao (Calif.), Mimi Walters (Calif.), Mike Coffman (Colo.), Scott Tipton (Colo.), Carlos Curbelo (Fla.), Brian Mast (Fla.), Mike Bost (Ill.), Rodney Davis (Ill.), Peter Roskam (Ill.), Kevin Yoder (Kan.), Erik Paulsen (Minn.), Don Bacon (Neb.), Leonard Lance (N.J.), Thomas MacArthur (N.J.), Daniel Donovan (N.Y.), John Faso (N.Y.), John Katko (N.Y.), Ryan Costello (Pa.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Lloyd Smucker (Pa.), Pete Sessions (Texas), Barbara Comstock (Va.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Hurd and Ryan.