Posted on 01/19/2019 2:34:52 PM PST by Kaslin
UPDATE:
President Donald J. Trump finished his address moments ago, offering the Democratic Party a compromised illegal immigration solution that would bring an end to the government shut down, institute extended protection for DACA recipients and other illegal aliens, as well as provide initial funding for 230 miles of steel barriers along the southern border.
"If we are successful in this effort, we will have the best chance in a long time at bipartisan immigration reform, and it won’t stop here, it will keep going until we do it all,” the president told the nation.
"Our immigration system should be a source of pride, not a source of shame," the commander-in-chief added.
As noted by Fox News, "It would also offer $800 million for drug detection technology to secure ports of entry, 2,750 new border agents and law enforcement professionals, and 75 new immigration judges to reduce the backlog of asylum requests. He said that all his measures have been supported by Democrats before."
But, even before the president made his remarks, Democratic leaders hinted they would reject this plan.
"Similar inadequate offers from the Administration were already rejected by Democrats. The BRIDGE Act does not fully protect Dreamers and is not a permanent solution," a senior House Democratic aide told The Hill.
"This is not a compromise as it includes the same wasteful, ineffective $5.7 billion wall demand that shut down the government in the first place," the source added.
After the announcement, key supporters Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin blasted the president for what amounts in their eyes to "amnesty."
Immediate: 3 yrs of amnesty for 700,000 illegal aliens who'll get work permits, Social Security #s & protection from deportation.
Immediate: Temporary (read: Permanent) Protected Status extension for 300k illegal aliens.
Later. Maybe. Someday: 230 miles of steel barriers.
??— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) January 19, 2019
Trump proposes amnesty. We voted for Trump and got Jeb!— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 19, 2019
100 miles of border wall in exchange for amnestying millions of illegals. So if we grant citizenship to a BILLION foreigners, maybe we can finally get a full border wall.— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 19, 2019
It is theorized that President Trump simply offered this proposal knowing the Democrats would never agree to it as a strategic political move to place the blame on Democrats for refusing to compromise, but other pundits observed it may not be as beneficial for the president as he thinks.
The positive is this shows independents that Trump is open to compromise, might make his poll numbers go up.
The negative is this tells his base he’s willing to sell out. For ppl who backed Trump since the beginning, this bill is poison https://t.co/W18HU4qzvc— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) January 19, 2019
It’s a great deal for Democrats. They get a cookie and his supporters get a crumb.#AmnestyDon https://t.co/lQgKd5Hb6S— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) January 19, 2019
ORIGINAL:
Axios' Jonathan Swan reported President Donald J. Trump could announce today a supposed illegal immigration deal that will seek protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients for the next three years as well as an extension of legal status for Temporary Protected Status holders in exchange for $5.7 billion border wall funding along the Mexican border. Observers should remember that in 1986 Republican President Ronald Reagan offered a massive amnesty compromise with Democrats to increase border security and decrease illegal immigration which resulted in neither a secure border nor a deterrent for illegal aliens. In fact, it arguably had the opposite outcome. If Swan's reporting is correct, this plan could pave the way for similar disastrous policy.
According to Axios, Jared Kushner and Vice President Mike Pence have orchestrated this deal after South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham suggested it in December. But, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell noted that "the letter from Nancy Pelosi telling Trump not to deliver the State of the Union" was a turning point for negotiation strategy. Axios' source says that "McConnell had been saying all along that Pelosi and Trump needed to negotiate because one needed to put a bill on the House floor and one needed to sign it — two people with singular power."
Likewise, Axios says that "advocates for the plan argue that by offering the new proposal, Trump is showing he’s willing to negotiate while Pelosi remains unmoved. But even some top Republicans are skeptical Trump's overture will be enough to break the logjam."
This could purely be a political move, with the president never expecting Democratic leaders to actually agree to it. This proposal could give the President a chance to make a play on voters who oppose the wall but want some sort of compromise by showing it is the Democratic leaders who are not willing to work together.
But, the question remains if this legislative deal would still be enough to stop illegal immigration the way the president intends to or if it would simply encourage more of it.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed a historic immigration bill that granted "legal status, or amnesty, to aliens who can show that they entered the United States before Jan. 1, 1982, and have resided here continuously ''in an unlawful status'' since then. Aliens, such as foreign students or tourists, would generally be ineligible for the amnesty if they were in the United States legally for any portion of the time after Jan. 1, 1982."
The bill was supposed to curb illegal immigration by increasing border patrol security and punishing companies that hired illegal aliens. Likewise, aliens granted amnesty were "ineligible for welfare, food stamps and most other Federal benefits" with some "exceptions for the aged, blind and disabled and for pregnant women." Likewise, "the Federal Government..set aside $1 billion a year to reimburse state governments for the costs of providing public assistance, health care and education to illegal aliens who gain legal status."
But, not long after this law went into effect, The New York Times noted that "The mass of newly legalized immigrants is also acting as a magnet for illegal aliens who want to come to the United States to join friends and relatives."
Likewise, Democratic and Republican officials' "plan to strengthen the Border Patrol was never fully carried out, and experts reach widely differing verdicts on the effectiveness of the sanctions against employers who hire illegal aliens."
Fast forward 30 years later, and the United States is still dealing with an illegal immigration problem at our porous border. Every previous president has declared that this is a problem, but have failed to actually solve it. This potential plan likely would not solve it either and will only create more headaches.
The first problem, as noted by Adam Shaw, is that it is unclear if President Trump's plan would even cover the expense of the wall and what else President Trump would have to give up to earn more funding.
Worth noting that this wouldn't be "DACA in exchange for wall" deal, it would be "DACA in exchange for about a third of the wall." [Wall is estimated at at least $15 billion]
What would he need to give up to get the remaining $10 billion? https://t.co/b3rH89TtPj— Adam Shaw (@AdamShawNY) January 19, 2019
But even if the wall was fully funded, this plan would still create problem for Conservatives as illegal aliens who otherwise do not qualify for DACA would likely turn to immigration legal advocates to sue to claim they too deserve the same protections. The amount of time alone for thousands of illegal aliens in courts could take years. Plus, this codifying of protection for three years would eventually pave the way for permanent citizenship for these workers, especially if a Democratic president takes office in 2020.
But, in the short term, the threat of a wall and confusing policy would likely increase the flow of illegal immigration as well. This has its place in history after a Government Accountability Office report declared in 2015 that President Barack Obama's immigration policy and intended deterrents actually increased the number of illegal aliens entering America after wrongly assuming they could be eligible for DACA if they crossed the border.
At the time of the passing of the 1986 bill, President Ronald Reagan declared that 'Future generations of Americans will be thankful for our efforts to humanely regain control of our borders and thereby preserve the value of one of the most sacred possessions of our people, American citizenship." That obviously did not come into fruition as that effort did not allow America to retain control of its borders. It seems then-Rep. Chuck Schumer was more on the money when he said that, "The bill is a gamble, a riverboat gamble. There is no guarantee that employer sanctions will work or that amnesty will work. We are headed into uncharted waters.'"
Today, President Trump's potential immigration deal is also a "riverboat gamble" both politically and legislatively speaking. The compromise may gain some voters for the Republican party but if actually passed would more likely guarantee an influx of illegal immigration and full amnesty down the road when a Democratic president assumes office.
This post has been changed from its original headline of "President Trump's Potential Border Wall Deal Sounds Like Disastrous 1986 Immigration Compromise" to help avoid confusion.
The concern trolls seem to have missed that his proposal is a 3 year hiatus on folks already here under DACA/TPS so Congress has plenty of time to do its job...not the pure amnesty they and Over-the-edge-Annie are bitchin’ about.
Exactly. By refusing, as PDJT knew they would, the rats are backed further into an indefensible corner.
Don’t be naïve, it was a legitimate compromise that had to look as though he was giving the something without caving on the 5.7 billion. He knew they would never accept it (as did any of us with a brain) but it had to appear to the American people as though he was negotiating in good faith.
NOW that they have rejected outright his “good faith” attempt at a resolution.....#1) the onus of the shutdown is squarely on the dems and #2)his declaring of an emergency becomes much more acceptable to the masses as he was forced into it.
This is obvious to anyone who knows anything about politics and negotiating with politicians.
So he caved but still may not get the wall?
, he already conceded DACA
1) DACA has many definitions. I trust Trump’s definition
2) Step back and look at the bigger picture.
And how long has the illegal immigration been going on? This should have been taken care of when Reagan gave amnesty in exchange for border security.
**************
I agree. The can was kicked down the road endless times; nobody had the political guts to deal with the immigration problem — except Trump. And its a total mess that threatens to permanently alter our social fabric. And potentially end his presidency too.
A lot of people who voted for Trump heard him say he was going to build a wall and Mexico would pay for it. They didn’t want a partial wall; they wanted a “big beautiful wall” that Trump promised them. You and I know that wall was never going to span 2,000 miles but trading DACA for a partial wall is going to give some of his supporters pause, if not the political version of heartburn. That was my point.
Don’t get me wrong, I support Trump. I marvel at his courage to charge into the battle, especially when his own troops (the feckless GOP) are inclined to go AWOL or worse, join the enemy and fight against him.
The wall was Trump’s top prioroty. He can’t be perceived as giving up too much for a partial wall. I would like to see him threaten to permanently reduce the federal workforce after day 30 if the Dems don’t give him most of what he’s asking for. That’s the hill he should fight on in my humble opinion. They are never going to give an inch until they are forced to.
he did not cave.
he is in effect reiterating what he has been offering all along
Could be part of the National Emergency that Trump is going to announce at SOTU.
I remember an older brother of a friend of mine, was fired by Reagan in Magnus' masterstroke against PATCO. He ended up selling carpet.
All of you guys need to keep something in mind. The dems think that negotiating means that they get all that they want. Trump and most people with thinking capability know that negotiation means trading, give and take.
Trump is dangling things THEY SAY they want in front of them. When they turn them down even some of the barely-thinking libs begin to notice the hypocritical words and actions. With this and continued mention of the crimes being committed he is already starting to peel away some of their support.
Nancy and Chuckie won’t blink but they see what is happening. Every time they open their mouths they sound like they have taken another shot of stupid.
This is a RARE opportunity for Trump to pare back the size (and power) of our bloated government. I hope he seizes this precious moment, but after the way he backed off on the “immediate release” of the FISA docs color me skeptical.
A golden opportunity such as this may not come along for a long time to come. Think about it...doing this would establish a precedent for a repeat retaliatory action by Trump if the Dems ever think about blocking him again.
When they turn them down even some of the barely-thinking libs begin to notice the hypocritical words and actions.
***************
I worked around liberals for many years. Hypocrisy doesn’t bother them in the least. Moreover, they are highly resistant to logic, facts and the lessons of history. The social consequences of unchecked immigration don’t bother them either as long as they can use those people to swell the ranks of Democrat voters.
Being a Democrat means never having to acknowledge reality or say you’re sorry for anything.
Originally he wanted 50 billon then dropped down to 25 billion, facts are such annoying things. Einstein.
The important part of that statement is watching. Tell us what happens after they discover the illegal crossing over the fence/wall?
Traitor! {:-)
Just Stop, NEVERTRUMPER.
“Originally he wanted 50 billon.”
He has never seriously asked for “50 billion” as the concensus estimate to build the entire wall has been known for some time to be 25 billion.
“facts are such annoying things. Einstein.”
So are people who lack an intuitive sense to realize what are bonafide facts and what are off the cuff remarks that signify nothing.
We will look back on his administration as the good old days after he finishes up his (hopefully 8 year) term.
The 2006 Secure Fence Act included a report that building the ‘fence’ and maintenance would cost $50 billion over 25 years, but the Act only authorized $1.4 billion.
“Just Stop, NEVERTRUMPER.”
Well stated, leave it at that.
People such as itsahoot are most generally real life losers that get some sort of twisted satisfaction by raising other folks blood pressure. They often use shallow thinking, half truths and obtuseness to get a rise giving them a self perceived sense of importance and relevance.
Best to state one opinion as you did then ignore as they usually just dry up and blow away.
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