Posted on 01/09/2018 10:00:47 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
Conservative immigration hawks are losing faith in President Trump, who left them fuming Tuesday when he endorsed a two-phase process to permanently protect young undocumented immigrants and later pursue comprehensive changes to interior enforcement and legal immigration policies.
The outline of a side-by-side approach emerged during a televised White House meeting with President Trump and 20 lawmakers, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who lured the president into seemingly declaring his support for a “clean” bill that codifies the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“I have no problem,” Trump told the California Democrat. “We’re going to do DACA, and then we can start immediately on the phase two, which would be comprehensive.”
White House officials were later forced to clarify that Trump’s definition of a clean bill differed greatly from the legislative process Feinstein had described, telling reporters, “A DACA bill he deems as ‘clean’ would include border security.’”
Conservatives who have long opposed legalizing the expiring DACA program without first improving border security and eliminating loopholes that allow immigrants to remain in the U.S. illegally were alarmed and befuddled by Trump’s comments.
“There was one thing missing from the White House today: a coherent, unequivocal position by the president who campaigned and won on the immigration issued,” said Bob Dane, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
“Even though the public relations flacks at the White House clarified Trump’s statements afterwards, his comments are red meat for the Democrats,” Dane continued. “I think this represents a certain level of naivety on the president’s behalf.”
Roy Beck, president of the immigration reduction group NumbersUSA, said in a statement following the public negotiations that Trump “must hold fast to his compact with American workers and greatly reduce both the illegal and legal competition from mass migration.”
Beck blasted what he referred to as an “amnesty-now and enforcement/reform-later agreement,” claiming such proposals “always fail the American people” and “result in more illegal immigration and continued flooding of U.S. labor markets.”
Republicans present for the meeting on Tuesday repeatedly attempted to steer the president away from a deal that would tackle DACA and border security first and a host of other issues — like family-based immigrant visas, catch-and-release policies, employment verification, and at-random green cards — in a broader immigration reform package later on.
“Mr. President, you need to be clear though,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., advised Trump following his response to Feinstein’s question about a clean DACA bill. “When we talk about just DACA, we don’t want to be back here two years later. We have to have security.”
Trump appeared unreceptive to such overtures, telling the room at one point: “I think what we’re all saying is we’ll do DACA and we can certainly start comprehensive immigration reform the following afternoon. OK?”
“I’m sure Stephen Miller was squirming in his chair,” Dane mused, noting that the 32-year-old White House policy adviser has “meticulously and methodically laid out a plan to implement longstanding immigration fixes.”
Miller could not be reached for comment.
A source close to the negotiations told the Washington Examiner it would be nearly impossible for the White House to ensure issues like chain migration and interior enforcement are promptly addressed after a DACA bill clears the president’s desk.
“Your border, interior enforcement, and immigration reform have to be done contemporaneously with the DACA bill,” the source said.
The source pointed to a recent influx in the apprehensions of family units and unaccompanied minors at the border in the Southwest as an incentive to include measures that boost interior enforcement and reform the asylum and court system for illegal immigrants in the initial bill to extend DACA protections.
“You can look historically at the arrival numbers and also the capture numbers that [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] takes and anytime we even talk about amnesty, you see a spike in border numbers,” the source said.
The same source suggested administration officials might begin to broaden their arguments for enhanced border security — beyond infrastructure — in the coming days. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders declined to provide examples of other aspects of border security that Trump could demand be included in an immigration bill.
Sanders said lawmakers made a behind-the-scenes agreement Tuesday to focus on four priorities — border security, chain migration, the visa lottery, and DACA — as they continue to negotiate an immigration bill.
“Both sides are going to have to give a little bit,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters after attending the White House meeting. “I think there’s a path there to get DACA and several other things that we’ve been talking about for a long time, and both sides seem motivated to do that. The question is whether it can happen in the next 10 days.”
Meanwhile, conservatives are warning the White House that rushing a deal through Congress, and placing certain immigration reforms on the backburner to do so, would have devastating consequences for the GOP in a midterm year. The DACA program is set to expire on March 5, but Democrats have insisted that it be dealt with legislatively as part of a budget deal that lawmakers are hoping to iron out before the government runs out of money next Friday.
“If DACA comes before everything else, then this is a sellout just like the Gang of Eight bill and I cannot overestimate the damage to the GOP in the midterm elections if what we heard today is the priority,” Dane told the Washington Examiner, predicting that Trump’s base would go “scorched-earth” on Republicans facing re-election challenges.
Dale Wilcox, executive director of FAIR’s legal arm, the Immigration Reform Law Institute, said Republicans instead have an opportunity to learn from past failures and permanently change the course of immigration trends.
“The 1986 immigration deal gave us amnesty for illegal aliens with a promise of increased border security that never materialized,” Wilcox said. “The border wall, chain migration, and the visa lottery are the heavy lifting of this process. They should be addressed in conjunction with any DACA agreement, or they will again be kicked down the road to a time when the problems have become much worse.”
Bipartisan lawmakers are expected to gather for a second meeting later this week to continue hammering out a deal on DACA. It is unclear with Trump again plans to participate.
The ones that shed their blood for our country.
Sometimes I think the Democrat-Communists have moles in Conservative groups.
+100
Ivanka's chances of running for any high public office in the U.S. are essentially zero.
I can't imagine any circumstances, including a shooting Civil War that would persuade me to vote for a new American Dynasty; not even a Trump one.
I’ve known people who worked in congressional offices. “Conservative” constituents called with that kind of thing all the time. “I’m against illegal immigration, but I want my kids’ nanny to get to stay! You have to help!”
Yes, indeed you already are.
The wink and nod fest permeates movers and shakers in both major parties, and that’s why the GOP can’t do it all of its lonesome. It would make the GOP look like jerks.
Few people believed there could be an actual wall. Many believed that the border could be defended better.
The big sleeper issue with a literal wall is going to be animal migration. There have to be passages such that the literal coyotes can roam while the figurative ones can’t. The left is all juiced up for this kind of thing. And I don’t think Donald is ignorant about it either. He’ll propose something at the right time in the political process.
DJT eyes the ramp to launch his run at jumping the shark ...
Republicans will get to blame.
That’s how the msm works. Facts mean little to them.
Did they not hear him speak? He clearly stated.. I have a heart for dreamers! Now they act surprised, kabuki! No wall, now way, 2018!
He hasn’t built it and he is using congress as an excuse.
Taxing the middle class more was a bad idea too, for the record.
You never-trump folks love to set yourselves up for failure even after all this time.
Some days in FR it’s not what President Trump has said or done that’s news to me.
What’s news to me most days now on FR is the same crybabies bitching & moaning about the absolute best president we’ve elected since Reagan—and the crybabies haven’t been right yet lol.
Insert NO voting privilege for 25 years and I’m OK with it.
In 2020 there will be no reason to stay up for the election returns.
But we can have the wall and more border agents.
Reagan and trump....two sell outs. Never would have thought such a thing. And the excuse the democrats screwed him is lame.
I work with a few young American girls who would rock free college and work tremendously hard to get a degree.
I also work with disabled people who are getting less benefits than the daca "kids".
900 of them serve in the military. 9000 of them are in prison. Let's hope those can go away?
73% of them are on welfare.
They don't get SS or Medicaid.
It's the blue state turn that will end Trump's presidency but many think the dems will be able to impeach him after he signs daca, for some reason.
It's worth watching the video, if you have not yet, of the session yesterday. Arms tightly folded and obviously nervous, Trump is very anxious to please, saying several times "Oh I'll sign it!" about daca.
Some think the dems will be able to impeach him next year, but many believe that Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and maybe Texas will turn blue by 2020.
Count those EV's. No need to stay up late on election night again.
It's amnesty and it will be the end of the GOP. Florida is gonna be solid blue, whether it's her color or not.
Now that's the bottom line, isn't it? None of the rest of it matters.
Thanks for the info!
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