MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Matthews" - Transcript: Executive Order on Immigration

Interview

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Among the lawmakers there tonight was Congressman Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico. Congressman Lujan has just been named the new chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, DCCC, which means it will be his job over the next two years to oversee the effort by Democrats to win back control of the House.

Congressman Lujan joins us live from the White House, having stepped out from this meeting.

Congressman, thanks for braving the cold for us. I appreciate you being here.

REP. BEN RAY LUHAN (D), NEW MEXICO: Rachel, it`s a pleasure to be with you here. It`s not too cold out.

MADDOW: Oh, good. Actually, I was going to say, you don`t look -- you`re not chattering your teeth yet, so I don`t feel guilty yet.

So, what can you tell us? What can you -- what beans can you spill about what you`ve learned about the president`s announcement for tomorrow?

LUJAN: What we learned tonight is an important briefing about the actions that the president will be taking with comprehensive immigration reform -- you know, actions that were taken by presidents since Eisenhower, presidents like Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush who took action to keep families together. At the time, George H.W. Bush took action, it kept 40 percent of those who were undocumented together.

And what the president laid out was a very clear plan. It`s going to be bold, but it`s going to be tough. It`s accountability, paying taxes, background checks, getting line. You know, contrary to what Republicans are saying, I think Marco Rubio said it best when he said that the environment that we have today is de facto amnesty.

What the president is doing is not amnesty. It`s accountability.

MADDOW: In terms of what the White House and what you guys are expecting from the Republicans, does the White House and do you guys in Congress on the Democratic side have any expectation of what Republicans are going to try to do to stop this and what the sort of counterstrategy is going to be from the Democratic side?

LUJAN: Well, this is the first step. And the president`s taken an important step, but it`s the first step. I hope that House Republicans use the rest of this year to move comprehensive immigration reform because it`s House Republicans that have been stalling this bill for 510 days.

Republicans have a chance to act. But sadly, we`re hearing more and more talk from Republicans about a government shutdown.

And I`m certainly hopeful they`re listening to the American people because the American people do not want the government shut down.

MADDOW: You have an important new job in Democratic politics. You`re going to be in charge of maximizing the number of House seats for Democrats in the next election. Thinking with that sort of electoral hat on, I have to ask you, if you think that it would have been a better political move for the White House to do this before this last election, anybody who might have been protected by the president not acting in a pro-immigrant way, it seems like they lost anyway.

Should this have happened earlier? Could it have been politically helpful for Democrats?

LUJAN: Well, you know, House Republicans would constantly say the president should or should not act. And they turned this into a political fight.

This is about keeping families together. I`m certainly hopeful that we can talk about that more going forward as opposed to what the political and the politics that Republicans were throwing at us on this.

Look, Rachel, it`s important that the president take this action but even more important that House Republicans move forward and get something passed. We have a few days left and we need to get it passed. But in the end, I think the American people are going to watch closely and they`re going to see who is for them and who is against them.

MADDOW: Congressman Ben Lujan of New Mexico, thanks very much for talking with us about this. And congratulations on your new gig, sir.

LUJAN: Thank you, Rachel. Look forward to talking to you again.

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