Rep. Mike Coffman
WASHINGTON — A provision that could pave the way for young immigrants to serve in the U.S. military has sharply divided two Republican members from Colorado’s delegation — and the upcoming vote Thursday afternoon is expected to come down to the wire.
On one side is U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, who supports an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act — a military policy bill — that would to accept into service young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Specifically, the provision targets immigrants who were shielded in 2012 from deportation by the Obama administration as part of a program called .
“Let the young men and women who were brought here as children, through no fault of their own, serve their country,” said the Aurora lawmaker in prepared remarks. “To those who claim that this is amnesty, I have a simple message: As a Marine Corps combat veteran I can assure you Parris Island ain’t amnesty.”
Opposing the effort is Lamborn of Colorado Springs. He’s part of a conservative effort to strip that language from the bill and earlier this month that demanded its removal.
The provision “would have the effect of making them (DACA recipients) eligible to enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces even though they are in the country unlawfully and our military is in the process of downsizing troop levels,” wrote Lamborn and about two dozen lawmakers.
For Coffman, the move has some potential political benefit. After besting Democrat Andrew Romanoff in a hard-fought House race last year, Coffman is considered a top GOP candidate to challenge U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., in 2016. Bucking conservative members of his party on immigration policy could help him secure the support of moderate voters in swing-state Colorado.
