The Union - Congressional Candidates Talk Immigration, ISIS Situation

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By Brian Hamilton

Congressman Doug LaMalfa says he's heard the talk about supposedly being a member of a "Do Nothing Congress," but he bristles at the notion his political party is any more responsible for a perceived lack of action than his colleagues across the aisle -- in either the House or Senate.

That perception was evident in an early August poll by NBC News, Wall Street Journal and Marist that showed 74 percent of Americans surveyed described the current Congress as "unproductive."

LaMalfa (R-Richvale), who faces Grass Valley Democrat Heidi Hall in the November election to represent California's 1st Congressional District, said while such criticism comes with the territory of serving in Washington, D.C., his constituents should know that he and his fellow members of the House of Representatives, in fact, have been taking action on important issues.

"That's kind of been stuck in my craw … because Congress is Congress and they're not popular, but Congress is both houses, right?" LaMalfa said Tuesday morning in Grass Valley. "And then it gets spun into the Republican-controlled House of Representatives doesn't do anything. We have over 350 bills sitting on the desk of (Sen.) Harry Reid (D-Nev.) of work that we've done that he's not doing.

"So if you want to talk about "Do Nothing,' let's not say Congress as a whole, which is both houses -- the House and the Senate -- let's talk about the job the Senate is not doing of taking up various bills … there are many things we've sent over there, over this last year and a half, that don't move for whatever reason. You'll have to ask Sen. Harry Reid why."

Hall, LaMalfa's opponent, called that summation "pure politics."

"And that's why I'm running," she said. "It's disingenuous. There is a group of 17 Republicans who are doing all the stopping, and he's right in there with them, whether on immigration or other issues, like when they voted to shut down the government.

"This last year (2013) was the most unproductive Congress in history and they're ahead of that record this year. It's unprecedented. What is happening, to me, is a danger to our democracy and our system. … I'm also concerned that Harry Reid has not brought up bills, but he's also dealing with an unprecedented amount of filibustering."

One of the bills awaiting a Senate vote is HR 5272, which prohibits "certain actions with respect to deferred action for aliens not lawfully present in the United States."

LaMalfa voted for the bill, which passed the House 216-192 on Aug. 1 -- just before the August recess, seeking to block President Obama from expanding the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which defers prosecution in such cases.

LaMalfa said such action through executive order has a chilling effect on the ability for Congress to find compromise on issues such as comprehensive immigration reform.

"There is a lot of sympathy for kids that are a part of that … through no fault of their own," LaMalfa said. "There is sympathy in Congress on both sides to handle that situation as part of a bigger, more coherent package. But the president simply did it by executive directive, the DACA, so that was done in 2012 on his own. We need comprehensive immigration reform, but if he keeps trying to do things on his own -- some that are legal, some that are questionable -- under what presidential authority he has, it doesn't help the negotiation or good-faith process of doing anything on immigration.

"The border is not being properly defended, patrolled, etc., by anything the federal government does," LaMalfa said. "So the bill we did before we left (on August recess) was to give power back to the states, and the states' National Guards, along the southern border … to let them use their powers to patrol the border -- use their National Guard -- and since it's a federal government responsibility, to fund them for doing so."

Hall said absent any advancement of immigration reform, the DACA provides "children who come across (the border) the chance to get a hearing."

And without it, she said, "it redirects resources to the deportation of those kids, as opposed to actual criminals who need to be deported.

"The president asked for $3.7 billion, but got just under $700 million, for a problem that both parties agreed in calling it a crisis," she said.

LaMalfa said another hurdle to immigration reform is what he described as demands by the Democrats to start the conversation with wide-sweeping amnesty, noting a 1986 compromise on immigration resulted in amnesty but without improved border control that was part of the bargain.

Offering amnesty despite an "illegal act" of entry into the United States would be a "slap to the face of every law-abiding immigrant that has already come through the proper way," he said, "and to Americans who are trying to teach their kids that you're supposed to obey the law to get things, especially benefits.

"It's just been disingenuous," LaMalfa added. "There's no trust with our negotiations with the president because he's been pretty much a stone wall on most things we have wanted to talk about, whether it's (immigration reform) or reforming the mess that is Obamacare or pretty much anything. He doesn't want to talk to Congress. It's pretty amazing to me, because other presidents at least have come down and talked to us."

LaMalfa said border security should also currently be of greater emphasis as the United States takes action against the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which on Tuesday released a video purported to depict the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff. If found to be authentic, it would be the second instance of ISIS killing an U.S. journalist in as many weeks.

Hall called ISIS a "horrific terrorist element," but said aside from airstrikes, more information and planning would be needed before further U.S. engagement, which she said was lacking when the U.S. invaded Iraq and removed Saddam Hussein, which she said led to the destabilization of the region.

"Bush Sr. and Clinton both had a policy of containment. Bush Sr. did not march on Baghdad for a reason," Hall said. "The U.S. had a role in creating instability there. It's not going to be a quick and easy fix. The airstrikes have been targeted and limited, but there's a common understanding that it's not going to resolve the situation. What we need is a well-thought-out strategy with limited U.S. on-the-ground involvement, including with military advisers."

LaMalfa said he approves of the U.S. conducting airstrikes on the group, helping to limit ISIS' ability to remain organized, and said he would want to hear more from military leaders before calling for further engagement

But whatever action the U.S. takes in Iraq and Syria, LaMalfa said the need for better border security is even more relevant considering the kind of barbaric terrorist group ISIS has proven to be.

"I'll commend the president for calling the airstrikes," LaMalfa said. "That was a correct thing, because you can see that this ISIS group, caliphate, country, territory -- whatever you want term it as -- is the incubator for the next 9/11, and the next one or two after that. If we don't think that can happen, that they can organize it and with our borders so loose … that's another problem with a loose border. That's why we acted the day before we took this August recess. We couldn't get out of town without taking action at least setting up our states to be able to do that. I wish the Senate had acted on it, (because) we've lost a whole month now."

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