For GOP House Leader There’s Only One Thing That Can Bring Both Sides of the Aisle Together

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) made an appearance on "Meet the Press" Sunday morning, where he reintroduced his support
of potentially providing a pathway to citizenship to young undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children.

Though Cantor avoided directly answering host David Gregory’s question about whether or not he supports the DREAM Act, which would give those undocumented immigrants in college or serving in the military an opportunity for a pathway to citizenship, he said the starting point in coming together from both sides—the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats—is the children.

Gregory asked, “Can you bring conservatives looking to supporting a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who are here without having to first leave the country?” Cantor gave a captivating argument for DREAMers and a pathway to citizenship:

There is a lot of movement right now in the House and the Senate, both sides of the aisle, with folks having a lot of different ideas. I think—I think a good place to start is with children. Here’s the difficulty in this issue, I think. And it is because we’ve got families who are here that have become part of the fabric of our country. And we want to make sure that we’re compassionate and sensitive to their plight. These kids know no other place as home. On the other hand, we are a country of laws. We have a situation of border security that we have to get straight. We have to secure our borders. There is a balance that needs to take place. But the best place to begin, I think, is with the children. Let’s go ahead and get that under our belt. Put a win on the board. And so we can promise a better life for those kids who are here due to no fault of their own.

WATCH:

Multiple high-profile leaders, such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), have also expressed their support for the DREAM Act too. However, the debate is far from over, as many political leaders are still opposed to immigration reform.

Samantha is an Advocacy intern with Campus Progress.

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