Pirate's Cove

The Washington Post Editorial is rather vexed at Trump’s position on illegal immigration, and, much like Jorge Ramos, lets the cat out of the bag

Trump could’ve embraced an immigration deal. Instead, he poisoned the debate.

IN HIS State of the Union address, President Trump seemed intent on burying any chance of enacting legislation to protect the “dreamers.” Instead of reaching out to Democrats to fashion a readily achievable compromise, the president injected more ethno-nationalist venom into a debate he already has done much to poison.

Eleven million immigrants are living in this country without legal documentation, but the vast majority of them are otherwise law-abiding. In fact, they are overwhelmingly employed, long-term residents who contribute to their communities in all manner of ways……

If they’re employed, they aren’t doing it legally. One needs a social security number or a work permit to do that: illegal aliens aren’t eligible for those. Plus other documents for an I9, which would knock them out. So, they’re either using someone else’s identity, or they’re working off the books. Either way, they’re taking jobs from Americans. And could be ruining the credit and identities of legal U.S. citizens.

…That is especially true of the dreamers, young people brought to this country as children by their parents. Very few Americans want to see the dreamers rounded up and deported, so you’d think a president would search for common ground to prepare the way for their eventual path to citizenship.

He did. He laid out a path for way more than the 800K Dreamers we typically hear about, to the consternation of his base. And, it included a path to citizenship, no just legalization. But, it is interesting that the WPEB is now discussing all 11 million illegals getting legal status, is it not?

Instead, Mr. Trump chose in the most inflammatory way possible to associate immigrants with a horrific crime committed by a vicious gang. Rather than reminding Americans of their common roots as immigrants and stressing that immigration is the cornerstone of the American story, Mr. Trump vilified them. He would have Americans believe that compassionate treatment for unaccompanied minors who cross the border, often fleeing violence and poverty, or family-based immigration is somehow akin to acquiescing in the homicidal nihilism of MS-13.

Much like many Democrats, the WPEB heard what they wanted to hear, and it’s also interesting that they chose to hear that violent illegal aliens are the same as all illegal aliens. That’s pretty racist/bigoted/prejudicial, is it not? Regardless, for most of us, our forebearers came to this country in a lawful manner, rather than sneaking across the border or overstaying visas, then Demanding citizenship for free.

Mr. Trump could have sought a constructive way forward. He could have urged Congress to forge a straightforward deal — a shield for the dreamers in return for border security. Some Democrats would be reluctant to give the president his “beautiful wall”; some Republicans would balk at “amnesty” for dreamers. But if Mr. Trump embraced the deal, so would Congress.

Instead, he attempted to expropriate the grief of four of his guests in the gallery: parents still mourning the brutal 2016 murder of their teenage daughters on Long Island. That won’t earn him the moral high ground, but it may well deepen the nation’s divisions and further complicate the fate of nearly 2 million young immigrants about whom Mr. Trump has said, “I love these kids.”

It’s interesting that the WPEB is simply blowing off the concerns of these people who had their teenage daughters brutally murdered by illegal aliens. During the gun debate, they’re often the ones saying “if we could save just one life…”

Maybe the saddest moment of the speech came when Mr. Trump tried to knock the dreamers off their sympathetic perch with the cleverly contemptuous line, “Americans are dreamers, too.” Yes, of course, Americans are dreamers. But he should finish the thought. For most dreamers, the United States is the only country they know. Dreamers are U.S. soldiers, high school valedictorians, the young couple living next door. Yes, Americans are dreamers — and dreamers are Americans. If only we had a president who understood as much.

Then perhaps the “Dreamers” should have come here legally. Perhaps they could have applied for legal status the lawful way. Not demanding that America give them food, healthcare, education, money, jobs, a place to live, and citizenship.

If the WPEB wants to poison the well, by all means keep this assault up on Trump, which will cause him to say “eh, never mind. Moving on. Could have been a beautiful bill, beautiful.” And interjecting 11 million illegals into the debate will cause a backlash from Republicans, much less Trump’s base, and the whole thing will be scuttled.