Aguilar's Congressional Campaign Blasts Miller's Vote on Immigration in D.C.

The congressional campaign for Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar issued a statement Thursday criticizing District 31 Rep. Gary Miller's vote to resume deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children.

"Congressman Gary Miller today let his true right wing colors show by voting to restart deportations of an estimated 800,000 DREAM Act-eligible young people, including many Inland Empire residents," Aguilar's campaign staff said.

Miller voted June 6 along with his peers in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to block implementation of President Barack Obama's 2012 election-year order to stop deportations of many so-called DREAM Act individuals, the Associated Press reported from the Nation's Capital.

Aguilar is a Democratic candidate for Congress challenging Miller in the 31st District. A representative for Miller could not immediately be reached to comment for this report.

"Congressman Miller's vote to deport 800,000 DREAMers is both callous and wrongheaded," Aguilar said in the announcement distributed by his campaign staff. "Even though Miller has consistently opposed immigration reform, it's still shocking that he would separate people from their families and communities, including those who've served in our military."

Aguilar is a fourth generation resident of the Inland Empire. He strongly supports the DREAM Act and comprehensive reform of the nation's immigration system, according to his campaign staff.