Five things to know about Trump’s immigration principles
The White House is putting a high price on any deal that would allow young immigrants who entered the United States illegally to stay in the country and work.
In exchange for legislation that would turn the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program into law, the Trump administration wants money for the president’s proposed border wall, sweeping border security measures, crackdowns on so-called “sanctuary cities” and new measures to curb the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border.
Democrats are unlikely to agree to the set of demands, raising real questions about the path forward for DACA, the Obama-era program Trump began to wind down last month.
Here are five things to know about the White House’s proposal:
Dead on arrival?
The White House demands were quickly condemned by Democrats.
Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), the top Democrats in the Senate and House, were particularly irked that the proposal included several so-called poison pills that were not a part of last month's talks with Trump — especially the border wall funding.
“This list goes so far beyond what is reasonable,” the two leaders said in a joint statement.
It also has the potential to divide Republicans, who could balk at cuts to legal immigration that were included in the plan. GOP lawmakers from border states are also skeptical of Trump’s proposal to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Advocates on both sides of the immigration debate expressed pessimism that a deal could be reached, but stressed the talks are not over yet. Lawmakers could pick and choose parts of Trump’s wish list in an effort to craft a viable proposal.
Doug Andres, a spokesman for Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), said House members “will review these principles” and continue to consult with the administration on a bill.
Let’s make a deal
The million-dollar question surrounding the plan is whether Trump sees it as a final offer or the beginning of a negotiation.
Trump signaled his willingness to make a deal to protect DACA recipients when he gave Congress a six-month window to broker a solution.
Despite his hard-line rhetoric on immigration, Trump has long spoken favorably about young undocumented immigrants who benefit from the plan. He said in February he wanted to treat them “with heart.”
But since then, his team has driven a hard bargain, sparking talk that immigration restrictionists inside the administration are trying to regain control and ensure DACA is permanently quashed.
The proof could come if or when Trump draws any red lines. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, said he cannot envision a scenario in which Trump backs away from the wall money.
“The president has boxed himself in on the wall issue,” he said.
Groups that favor strict immigration controls also say a new requirement that employers use E-Verify, which is used to verify employees’ immigration status, is nonnegotiable for them.
Both measures, however, would be deal-breakers for Democrats, whose votes Trump will need to pass a DACA fix through Congress.
The citizenship question
Another major fault line is whether DACA recipients would be allowed to become U.S. citizens.
Democrats, and some Republicans, have long called for a path to citizenship for "Dreamers," a group of roughly 1.5 million young undocumented immigrants. Around 800,000 people benefit from DACA.
But a White House official indicated citizenship could be off the table, telling reporters that the administration is “not interested in granting citizenship” in a DACA deal.
Under that model, DACA recipients could live in the U.S. and receive work permits, but without any assurance they could remain long term.
That would satisfy many immigration hard-liners who worry making them citizens could spark a wave of so-called “chain migration” — with DACA recipients’ relatives coming to the U.S. to join them.
But immigrant-rights advocates say it’s a nonstarter, arguing citizenship for all "Dreamers" is well within the GOP mainstream. Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, pointed to a bill drafted by Sens. James Lankford (Okla.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) that essentially offers them a 15-year path to citizenship.
The Stephen Miller factor
The administration said many government agencies weighed in with policy recommendations, including the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Control.
But White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller is said to have spearheaded the effort to draft the principles and push them on Capitol Hill. He was joined by Attorney General Jeff Sessions , his former boss during their days in the Senate.
Both have long pushed for aggressive measures to curb the flow of illegal immigration and tough new measures to apprehend those living illegally in the U.S.
Miller has solidified his influence inside the West Wing and the principles are one of the clearest examples yet of his ability to shape the administration’s stance on an issue about which he cares deeply.
By advancing these principles, Miller could also make it more difficult for Trump to get a deal on DACA — and thus more likely for the program to disappear.
Campaign promises
Trump has taken heat for months over his inability to secure a legislative victory or whittle down a lengthy list of unfulfilled campaign promises, including the wall.
But Trump has checked a lot of boxes on immigration.
In addition to his decision to scrap DACA, he has issued new directives that dramatically increase the number of immigrants considered priorities for deportation.
The administration has threatened to withhold federal aid to “sanctuary cities” that refuse to help federal authorities enforce immigration law.
It has claimed the measures have resulted in a major spike in border apprehensions, and that a surge of new immigration judges are helping to close cases faster.
The latest proposal is an indication that the Trump administration wants to step up its hard-line approach, and not go in the other direction.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/354579-five-things-to-know-about-trumps-immigration-principles
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DACA is now in the hands of the democrats. We shall see how much they care or is it more important for them to expand their base?
Since it is DOA, it's in the hands of Republicans. They knew that Democrats would not agree to these requirements, and they mistakenly thought that if the Dems don't go along, they will get the blame. Wrong, Republicans control all of the government, failures are theirs. If he actually wants to deal, lets see what he offers. If not, I imagine that they will attach a DACA bill onto every must pas spending bill, forcing Republicans to take the heat.