By Patrick Hauf
On Sept. 5, President Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – a program that gives benefits to children of illegal immigrants – assuring the end of the world – at least that’s how some saw it. If liberals would take just a minute to examine Trump’s words and actions, they would find that they agree with him on many fronts.
In 2010, President Obama attempted to push DACA through Congress, but it died on the Senate floor. Frustrated with Congress, Obama pushed the Constitution aside and eventually enforced DACA via executive order. In the summer of 2012, Obama spoke on the issue.
“Let us be clear; this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship,” Obama said. “It’s not a permanent fix. This is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people.”
Despite calling DACA “temporary”, Obama said Trump’s decision to end DACA is “a moral question.” That’s quite the contradiction.
Trump didn’t end DACA because he disagrees with the policy; he ended DACA because as an executive order, it’s unconstitutional. Immigration policy is the responsibility of Congress. This is not rocket science; it’s basic knowledge of the Constitution. In fact, it’s so basic, that even Trump understands it.
To understand Trump’s true thoughts on DACA, look no further than his beloved Twitter. The day DACA ended, he tweeted, “Congress, get ready to do your job – DACA!”
A day later, he tweeted, “Congress now has six months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit the issue!”
Trump is openly admitting that not only does he want DACA legalized, but if Congress fails to pass it, he would “revisit the issue.” Trump is assuring that DACA wouldn’t simply disappear after six months. This rules out any chance of deportations; something White House officials have made quite clear.
Two days after ending DACA, Trump tweeted, “For all those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the six month period, you have nothing to worry about – No action!”
Campaign Trump was all talk. President Trump’s tweets make his plan clear; keep the executive order in action until Congress legalizes DACA.
Days later, in order to raise the debt ceiling, Trump cut a deal with Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer. In fact, this was no deal; this was the president giving the Democrats, who are the minority, exactly what they wanted. It’s “The Art of the Deal,” folks. Although this should come as no surprise. Trump was a life-long Democrat who donated more money to “crying Chuck” than any other senator.
The president of the United States is pushing Congress to legalize DACA and is working with Pelosi and Schumer to raise the debt ceiling. Sound familiar? Oh yeah, Obama did both. It’s time for liberals to take a deep breath, calm down and consider how much they have in common with Trump.
haufpj17@bonaventure.edu
