In mid-September, President Trump made a non-deal with Congressional Democrats on the future of “Dreamers” (those who arrived in the U.S. as undocumented minors) who were protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The interplay was very muddled, but Trump announced that DACA would be phased out, and the president passed the issue to Congress with a six-month deadline to decide the fate of 800,00 Dreamers. Now, Reuters has viewed a “wish list” made by Trump to Congressional leaders for legislation that will eventually land on his desk.
Reuters reports that the list is organized as a set of “principles” for the Trump administration’s immigration policy. The outlet doesn’t even pretend that Democrats will agree to the list, which includes funding for the mythical Great Wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Further, Trump wants a “crackdown on unaccompanied minors” (who have previously been called “wolves in sheep’s clothing” by AG Jeff Sessions). Here’s more about those demands:
The proposals also include a request for funds to hire 370 more immigration judges; 1,000 attorneys for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency; 300 federal prosecutors and 10,000 additional ICE agents to enforce immigration laws.
The document … would also expand the list of “inadmissible aliens” to include members of gangs, those who have been convicted of an aggravated felony, and former spouses and children of drug and human traffickers if they receive benefits from such behaviour.
Of course, another demand is the denial of federal funding for so-called “sanctuary cities,” which will likely include the “sanctuary state” classification that California recently adopted in response to the White House’s harsh immigration stance. Those who seek asylum in the U.S. would also be required to meet tougher standards, and employers would be required to use “E-Verify” to prevent illegal immigrants from taking jobs from Americans.
Previously, Democrats made a big deal of how Trump’s supposed deal with them wouldn’t include wall funding, but of course, then Trump denied that there was a deal, so who really knows what’s going on here — other than another effort to dismantle an Obama-era initiative while “winning” as much as possible. Since Mexico has made no secret of its refusal to pay for the wall, Trump is giving said funding one more shot with Congress.
And once again, the Dreamers have been given more reason to worry about whether they have a future in the United States.
(Via Reuters)