The White House has raised an open challenge to the House Passage of an Amendment to strip protections from "Dreamers," vowing that despite the Republican move, it will not become law.
An amendment to the DREAM Act sponsored by Steve King, the most strident anti-immigrant GOP voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, passed by a 224-201 vote on Thursday.
The Amendment deprives funding of the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that lets young, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children remain in the country if they are in school or in the military.
The House Passage comes as the Senate prepares to debate bipartisan commonsense immigration reform bill that would give Dreamers permanent legal status next week.
A statement by White House Press Secretary termed it as "extreme amendment."
"Dreamers are productive members of society who were brought here as young children, grew up in our communities, and became American in every way but on paper. This amendment, sponsored by Representative Steve King, runs contrary to our most deeply-held values as Americans. It asks law enforcement to treat these Dreamers the same way as they would violent criminals. It's wrong. It's not who we are. And it will not become law," the White House said.
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