DREAM DEFERRED
Trump pushes DACA decision down the line, gives Congress 6 months to ‘fix’ it
An article received via email contained a perfect headline that defined the next big moment in U.S. immigration history.
“The DACA Decision is Down to One Man and One Man Only: President Donald Trump” America’s Voice, an immigration reform group, announced. President Trump would not have had this any other way although as news broke yesterday that Trump in six months will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, drama evaporated.
In fact, Trump wimped out as he simply kicked the issue toward Congress with a hand wash that rivals Pontius Pilate.
Trump can claim that he kept his promise to end DACA on Day One despite the fact that eight months have passed since his inauguration.
Trump’s small hands held the lives of nearly 800,000 immigrants who have enjoyed residency since 2012 when President Barack Obama safeguarded children and young adults brought into the U.S. illegally.
Waiting another six months confines DACA registrars to another six months of torture, uncertain about how Congress will act.
DACA offers opportunity without fear of deportation. Guidelines demand that anyone requesting leniency must have been under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012.
Also, those applicants had to have arrived in the U.S. before reaching their 16th birthday. Those under the DACA umbrella can enjoy deferred action for two years then seek renewal.
Many Republicans wanted Trump to keep his campaign promise to end DACA although a late push by some party members implored the president to continue the program.
His apparent decision will sort of, kind of, spare Republicans although now they must resolve DACA.
Knowing how the drama ends dilutes what could have proved a powerful Trump moment although people will want to hear the words tumble out of Trump’s mouth.
Hurricane Harvey offered Trump presidential foreplay, a chance to look GQ white-collar presidential but this DACA decision represented the political money shot.
The decision? Sure, it matters but the drama disappeared as the six-month solution circulated.
Plus, let’s not forget that arrival at this political watering hole came only after a group of Republicans established the Sept. 5 drop dead date with an ultimatum to end DACA or face a court battle.
These Republicans drew the line in the sand for Trump. It’s not as though the president acted on his own accord.
The President found himself trapped by one personal political promise, tucked his coattails and found an easy exit stage right.
This moment could have defined his early presidency but it’s wimpy, a soft-peddle of power although he avoided a backslide as hardline talkers like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter will offer Trump safe passage.
Still, a Republican dominated Congress must deal with the issue as DACA remains the law of the land.
Republicans can thank also Obama for their quagmire after his DACA end run circumvented the Republican controlled Congress.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (RWis.) whimpered then changed course.
“Let me back up for a second - President Obama does not have the authority to do what he did. You can’t, as an executive, write law out of thin air,” Ryan complained during a radio interview with WCLO in Jamesville, Wisc.
“Having said all of that, there are people who are in limbo. These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don’t know another home.”
On second thought, perhaps this Trump moment really placed the spotlight on his predecessor.
In the Republican bloodthirsty haste to destroy all things Obama, his decision on DACA has forced their hands.
President Trump could have shared the DACA spot light with Obama, not now, perhaps never.
No matter how this played, Obama found himself in a winwin situation.
In the end, President Trump could not deliver as his expected big moment ends with an anticlimax.
Other major issues exist on his desk blotter, especially North Korea’s nuclear weapons surge and Hurricane Irma pushing toward Florida or the East Coast.
Trump should have manned up to offer immigrants not only DACA but also should have supported a legitimate pathway to citizenship.
The expected Trump announcement exposes his inability to lead.
On a day when Trump could have showcased power, the president remains not ready for prime time.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist.