Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) went after Republicans for their attacks on President Obama's new immigration mandate, saying it's "nonsense" for the GOP to call for a comprehensive policy after their rejection of the DREAM Act.
"The president made an effort on the DREAM Act, as you know — if we can't get the DREAM Act through Congress it's going to be very difficult to get something more comprehensive through the Congress," Van Hollen said on CNN's "Starting Point."
"So to hear our Republican colleagues complain that the president hasn't put together a total comprehensive plan when Republicans wouldn't even support the DREAM Act, I think raises real questions of credibility on the Republican side."
Obama's decision to stop the deportation of young undocumented immigrants who lack a criminal record and are seeking an education or are in the military has spurred outrage from Republicans who say the president has failed to come up with a comprehensive, long-term plan to address the nation's immigration issues.
But Van Hollen argued that the GOP's dismissal of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act renders them unfit to call for broad-sweeping immigration reform.
The ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee went on to attack Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on his immigration rhetoric during the primaries, saying the former Massachusetts governor would do nothing but make life "miserable" for young illegal immigrants.
"It's interesting to hear Mitt Romney on the campaign trail," Van Hollen said. "We all know his policy was. His policy was very clearly stated in the primary — self-deportation, make life absolutely miserable for everybody here including ... these kids so they'll self-deport. So that's been the Republican solution.
"If you can't get the Republicans to agree on the DREAM Act, it is just nonsense to talk about Republicans agreeing to comprehensive immigration reform."
