Culture

Jeff Sessions Confirms Trump’s Decision To End The DACA Program That Protects Young Undocumented Immigrants

On Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions confirmed that President Trump will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — thereby closing the door on Obama-era protections for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors. The presidential desire, as further forecast over the weekend, was to eventually end DACA entirely but allow Dreamers who are currently in the U.S. to fulfill current work permits before getting the boot. And now, Sessions has announced that DACA will indeed phase out with a six-month stay while Congress irons out the technicalities. In the above clip, Sessions maintained that DACA steals #Jobs and social security from American workers and was unconstitutionally implemented by Obama:

“The program known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama administration has been rescinded … the policy was implemented unilaterally, to great controversy and legal concern … the executive branch, through DACA, deliberately sought to achieve what the legislative branch specifically refused to authorize … Simply put, if we are to further our goal of strengthening the constitutional order and the rule of law in America, the Department of Justice cannot defend this type of overreach.”

In this clip, Sessions argued that rescinding DACA is “the compassionate thing to do” because it “serves the national interest” and “prevents human suffering” due to “increased violence” sourcing from illegal immigration.

A few hours prior to Sessions’ appearance, CBS News indicated that Trump would technically “leave the future of the program up to Congress,” thereby passing the buck on the fate of 800,000+ Dreamers to the GOP. Yet Trump made no secret about the dirty work that he wanted them to do in an early morning tweet: “Congress, get ready to do your job — DACA!”

The Obama administration launched DACA — which granted work visas to those undocumented immigrants without a criminal record — in 2012. Last week, an anonymous GOP source told McClatchy DC that Trump was “genuinely conflicted” and still on the fence over DACA, but it appears that all hesitation has ended. The move backtracks on Trump’s earlier promises to leave Dreamer protections intact, but since taking office, Trump has steadily overturned as many Obama policies as possible.

Since the gold-plated opening moments of Trump’s presidential campaign, he told supporters that undocumented immigrants (particularly those from Mexico) bring nothing but rape and drug-related crimes to the United States. While many of his claims regarding these immigrants have been proven false, Trump has proceeded with his plan, and if Congress cooperates, he’ll (at least) have fulfilled one major campaign promise.

UPDATE: To defend the dismantling of DACA, President Trump has issued a formal statement, which attacks Obama and reads in part:

As President, my highest duty is to defend the American people and the Constitution of the United States of America. At the same time, I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.

The legislative branch, not the executive branch, writes these laws — this is the bedrock of our Constitutional system, which I took a solemn oath to preserve, protect, and defend.

In June of 2012, President Obama bypassed Congress to give work permits, social security numbers, and federal benefits to approximately 800,000 illegal immigrants currently between the ages of 15 and 36. The typical recipients of this executive amnesty, known as DACA, are in their twenties. Legislation offering these same benefits had been introduced in Congress on numerous occasions and rejected each time.

In referencing the idea of creating new immigration rules unilaterally, President Obama admitted that “I can’t just do these things by myself” — and yet that is exactly what he did, making an end-run around Congress and violating the core tenets that sustain our Republic.

You can read the full statement here.

(Via CNN)