DACA revival prognosis looks grim
‘Probably dead’ is president’s view on congressional efforts
PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Sunday that a program that protects immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children is “probably dead,” casting a cloud over talks days before a deadline on a government funding deal that Democrats have tied to immigration.
At issue is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created by President Barack Obama to shield hundreds of thousands of these individuals, known as “Dreamers,” from deportation. Trump announced last year that he will end the program unless Congress comes up with a solution by March.
“DACA is probably dead because the Democrats don’t really want it, they just want to talk and take desperately needed money away from our Military,” the Republican president tweeted. “I, as President, want people coming into our Country who are going to help us become strong and great again, people coming in through a system based on MERIT. No more Lotteries! #AMERI- CA FIRST.”
Republicans and Democrats were at odds over funding the government, and the talks became more complicated after Democrats, whose votes are needed to pass a government funding bill, insisted that immigration be included. Government funding expires at midnight Friday without a deal in place.
Roiling the talks are comments, including a vulgarity, by Trump during an Oval Office meeting in which he questioned the need to admit more Haitians and Africans to the U.S.
The president also rejected as insufficient an immigration deal drafted by the bipartisan group of lawmakers who attended that meeting. The deal had included a pathway to citizenship for the “Dreamers that would take up to 12 years, with $1.6 billion for border security, including Trump’s promised wall along the U.s.-mexico border.