Many seem to be getting squishy when it comes to doing something about DACA, about the Dreamers
(The Hill) Senators are moving away from the White House’s long list of demands as they try to negotiate an agreement on a key Obama-era immigration program.
Trump decided to nix the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and released a seven-page list of immigration “principles†outlining what the administration wants as they jockey for leverage ahead of negotiations with Capitol Hill.
But senators — while acknowledging they support the “merit-based†immigration reform favored by Trump and conservatives — have appeared cool to the wide-raging plan advocated by the White House.
They warn that an overly broad package would sink the chances of an agreement on undocumented immigrants brought into the country illegally as children, commonly referred to as “Dreamers.”
“I do support merit-based immigration reform but what I don’t want to do is get back into the morasses of comprehensive immigration reform. That’s why I think the … simpler and more easily accomplished goal would be to marry up some fix for the DACA beneficiaries with a border security and enforcement bill,†Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), said in response to a question about the administration’s plan.
John McCain doesn’t even want to read what the White House is asking for. He’s all for just giving Dreamers legal status with minimal border security. Regardless, this begs the question as to how much of what the White House asked for will the Republican Senate blow off? Trump knows that in a negotiation, you ask for the world, and settle for the moon. Trump and the White House are certainly not expecting to get all the things they asked for. But, they certainly expect some of them to make it through.
I agree, we should not make this into a comprehensive type bill, but, if Dreamers want some sort of legalized status, there has to be some enforcement and security measures to offset. And I still say that part of it should be that the people who brought the Dreamers illegally should have to self deport before any legalization occurs. If we aren’t supposed to punish the kids for the sins of the parents, well, then, the “sinners” need to be punished.
Trump, meanwhile, says he would “love†a DACA deal but wants wall funding — considered a non-starter for Democrats and some Republicans.
“We’re looking at DACA,†Trump told reporters this week. “We’ll see what happens. I’d love to do a DACA deal. We have to get something very substantial for it. Including the wall, including security, including a strong border.â€
If Republicans go with the amnesty route without substantial stuff back, they can kiss 2018 goodbye, along with all the donations.
