Can Republicans and Democrats find common ground on DHS funding? : NPR

SCOTT DETROW, HOST:

Top immigration officials will testify on Capitol Hill this week ahead of Friday’s deadline to defund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have refused to fund DHS without changing how federal agents conduct immigration operations, and Republicans are reluctant to approve significant reforms to an immigration enforcement operation they largely support. So how can the parties find common ground before DHS runs out of money on Friday?

We invited two legislators, one from each party, to talk about all of this. Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York. Together, they will co-chair the Problem Solvers Caucus. They both wrote a letter to the White House urging President Trump to use this moment to consider a broader bipartisan solution to immigration and enforcement. Thank you both for coming.

BRIAN FITZPATRICK: Thanks for having us.

TOM SUOZZI: Yeah, thanks, Scott.

DETROW: Let me start with this. I’ll start with Congressman Fitzpatrick, then I’ll move on to Congressman Suozzi. You both work a lot. You talk about finding common ground and finding solutions. So I’d like to start with the main point that you disagree on when it comes to immigration, when it comes to immigration enforcement, because, I mean, that tells us a lot about the possibility of an agreement. Congressman Fitzpatrick, let me start with you.

FITZPATRICK: In terms of policy, we both agree that the border needs to be secure. We both agree that we must be humane and compassionate when it comes to law enforcement inland. We both agree that dangerous and violent offenders who pose a threat to public safety must be distinguished from people who are here in this country undocumented and who have committed no crime other than crossing the border. You know, Tom might not agree. But you know, in my communications with him, there was no distance.

SUOZZI: Yeah, we don’t disagree between the two of us. And I think there are a lot of Democrats and a lot of Republicans who could easily find a solution to, as Brian said, secure the border, fix the broken asylum system, legalize a group of people who have been here for over nine years, since President Trump took office. The problem is that the people most involved in politics these days, the most passionate about politics, are often at the extremes. So we have to do the hard work of operating in what is a toxic environment to say, look, we share more in common than what divides us – let’s try to move that forward.

DETROW: So you both seem to be mostly on the same page in saying that there is a path forward here. I think it’s clear to everyone that Congress as a whole is not necessarily on this page, and I’m wondering what you think is the biggest challenge. Whether it’s a short-term or longer-term deal, what’s the biggest sticking point? Is this the idea of ​​any sort of restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol operating in the United States? Do you think it’s something else?

SUOZZI: Well, we certainly need to place restrictions on the way ICE currently operates. I think we’ve just reached a tipping point after the death of Alex Pretti. And, you know, I’ve said for a long time that, you know, the president is right, we need to secure the border. The president is right, we need to deport violent criminals. The president is right, we must take on violent cartels.

But he’s squandering any success he’s had in that regard on these raids that are taking place that are really – have been, I believe, illegal and immoral in many ways. And, you know, they’re economically reckless, they’re socially destructive, and they’re morally wrong. And I think most Americans agree that we want to go after gangs. We don’t want to attack gardeners.

DETROW: So, Representative Fitzpatrick, everything that Representative Suozzi just said, how many Republicans in the House, do you think, would broadly agree with what he said?

FITZPATRICK: Believe it or not, the majority.

DETROW: Yeah.

FITZPATRICK: You know, the challenge, unfortunately, is that politics gets in the way for a lot of these people. We won’t come to an agreement on all the things that need to be worked out with ICE in one week. It won’t happen in a week. It’s going to take time. This is going to take a lot of conversations, just like we had after George Floyd. But when it comes to ICE, we should all agree that the masks need to come off. We should all agree on the need for body cameras, you know, 24/7 when they work.

DETROW: Well, I don’t think the White House agrees on the mask issue. And it looks like a nice key…

FITZPATRICK: Well, it’s – look, I’m speaking for myself. And I also tell you, the conversations I have with many of my colleagues there agree with that.

DETROW: You both say things that I think if you asked the majority of Americans they would agree with, right?

FITZPATRICK: Yeah.

DETROW: But we live in a world where you know that, if anything, congressional districts are going in the opposite direction as both sides experience more and more redistricting.

FITZPATRICK: Yeah, and we need to fix that.

SUOZZI: This is one of our biggest problems.

DETROW: Of course.

FITZPATRICK: We have to solve this problem.

DETROW: Of course. And you saw immigration, ICE and Border Patrol enforcement become something that terrified a lot of Americans. This has become one of the biggest political crises we have seen in a long time. So my question is: Given the reality of the world we face now, what do you see as the path forward in this Congress on this issue that is clearly close to both of your hearts?

FITZPATRICK: I’ll answer that question. I think on the immigration issue with DHS funding, which is the issue before us right now, we’re doing very, very short term CR extensions that are always associated with reform, right? So what’s the simplest reform we can all agree on? Let’s say body cameras, right? So how about extending DHS funding for two weeks and adding this reform? And then, if we want an additional extension of two weeks or a month, we add another reform that we all agree on. In this way, at least gradually, we progress and get to where we need to be.

DETROW: They are Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York. They are co-chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus. Thanks for talking to us.

SUOZZI: Yeah, thank you.

FITZPATRICK: Yeah, thank you.

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