A recent commentary criticized U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s (D-McAllen) congressional vote against a temporary spending bill that did not include protection for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA or Dreamers.
His strategy was to push congressional Republicans to come and negotiate in good faith a way to offer protection from deportation and later citizenship for DACA.
This bill included a Children Health Insurance Program or CHIP, a social program to help the working poor families. He voted in favor of getting six years funding for this social program providing these parents coverage for their children’s medical expenses.
Representative Gonzalez is correct when he defended his vote by stating that his No. 1 priority is to represent all voters in the 15th Congressional District including the Dreamers.
His vote also affected the over 300 million American citizens including members of the Border Patrol and military, CHIP children and other federal government workers just trying to earn an honest living.
This Dreamer should really get mad at the real culprits – her parents, not Rep. Gonzalez. Years ago, when her parents came to the U.S. illegally, they should have gotten in line as other millions of immigrants still living in their native land trying to get into this country legally as required by the U.S. immigration system.
It’s not just all about you.
Silvestre Moreno Jr., Mercedes
