Trump’s Dreamer move ‘shameful’
UNITED STATES: US President Donald Trump yesterday scrapped an Obama-era programme that protects from deportation immigrants brought illegally into the country as children, delaying implementation until March and giving a gridlocked Congress six months to decide the fate of almost 800,000 young people.
As the so-called Dreamers who have benefited from the five-yearold programme were plunged into uncertainty, business and religious leaders, mayors, governors, Democratic lawmakers, unions, civil liberties advocates and former president Barack Obama condemned Trump’s move.
The action was announced not by Trump but by Jeff Sessions, his attorney general, who called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme an unconstitutional overreach by Obama.
Trump later issued a statement saying: ’’I do not favour punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognise that we are (a) nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.’’
He pressed his nationalist ‘‘America First’’ message, saying that ‘‘above all else, we must remember that young Americans have dreams, too’’.
Obama issued his own statement calling Trump’s action a political decision, defending DACA’s legality and urging Congress to protect Dreamers.
‘‘These Dreamers are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper,’’ Obama said.
Nearly 800,000 people admitted their illegal immigrant status and provided personal information to the government to apply for the DACA programme, which provided work permits in addition to deportation protection, and primarily benefited Hispanics. They now face the prospect of being deported, starting in March.
Trump shifted responsibility to a Congress controlled by his fellow Republicans, saying it was now up to lawmakers to pass immigration legislation that could address the fate of those protected by DACA. Trump and Sessions offered no details of the type of legislation they would want to see.
‘‘I have a love for these people, and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly,’’ Trump later told reporters at the White House, adding: ‘‘I think it’s going to work out very well.’’
Since Trump took office in January, Congress has been unable to pass any major legislation, most notably failing on a healthcare overhaul, and lawmakers have been bitterly divided over immigration in the past.
‘‘President Trump’s decision to end DACA is a deeply shameful act of political cowardice and a despicable assault on innocent young people in communities across America,’’ said Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives.
The Democratic attorney general of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, said a coalition of states planned to file a lawsuit in the coming days to defend DACA, and one advocacy group announced its own legal action.
‘‘This is a sad day for our country,’’ added Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, urged Congress to ‘‘put the humanitarian needs of these 800,000 people on the legislative calendar’’ before tax cut legislation sought by Trump.
‘‘The cancellation of the DACA program is reprehensible,’’ the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said.
The Mexican government said it ‘‘profoundly laments’’ Trump’s decision to end DACA, and pledged to strengthen efforts to guarantee consular protections for affected Mexican citizens. - Reuters