Dreamers’ fate ‘weighing’ on Trump
Ryan among GOP leaders OK with DACA
An Obama-era program that affects the lives of hundreds of young immigrants who were brought to America illegally as children could change early next week, but President Trump didn’t show his hand yesterday when discussing the issue.
“We love the dreamers; we love everybody,” Trump said yesterday, referring to the nearly 800,000 young people who were given a reprieve from deportation and temporary work permits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. “I think the dreamers are terrific.”
Trump is facing a hard deadline set by a group of Republican state lawmakers who are threatening to challenge the program in court unless he ends it by Tuesday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said yesterday that the decision “is weighing on him.”
Some Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have publicly urged Trump to give Congress a chance to make more calculated maneuvers.
“These are kids who know no other country, who are brought here by their parents and don’t know another home,” Ryan told Wisconsin radio station WCLO. “And so I really do believe that there needs to be a legislative solution.”
Utah GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch also urged Trump not to revoke former President Barack Obama’s efforts to protect “individuals who entered our country unlawfully as children through no fault of their own and who have built their lives here.”
Trump had slammed the program as illegal “amnesty” during his fiery campaign and pledged to end it on his first day in office. His tone changed once he became president, and he has since said those affected by DACA could “rest easy.”
Locally, schools like Boston College and Harvard University have issued statements supporting the program.
“Boston College is committed to supporting all of its students,” BC President William P. Leahy said in a statement. “The DACA program has benefited students at Boston College, and they have contributed greatly to the life of our community.”
Yesterday afternoon, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey posted a tweet urging the continuation of DACA, writing, “We cannot turn our backs on the 800,000 young Dreamers who call America ‘home.’” Many DACA advocates expect the president to announce that he will halt the issuance of new work permits under the program, effectively phasing it out.