Over the weekend, the President issued a barrage of tweets criticizing lawmakers over immigration and demanding that Congress pass stronger border legislation. Trump tweeted that “DACA is dead because the Democrats didn’t care or act, and now everyone wants to get onto the DACA bandwagon … No longer works. Must build Wall and secure our borders with proper Border legislation. Democrats want No Borders, hence drugs and crime!”
The President’s tweet seems to infer that he is no longer willing to negotiate a DACA deal. In reality, however, the White House has largely put negotiations over DACA on hold as the program is reviewed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. As it stands, the program is still operating, and individuals who have previously been granted deferred action can still apply to renew their status. However, USCIS is not accepting requests from individuals who have never before been granted deferred action under DACA.
So, what exactly caused the President’s twitter rant? Well, the answer to that question is not totally clear. Many believe the President is responding to criticism by Republican hardliners that he is softening on immigration issues. Others, however, believe that it was in response to a Fox News opinion segment detailing a caravan of Central Americans that are currently traveling to the U.S. The caravan includes over 1,000 migrants, mostly from Honduras, who are embarking on a month-long trip in the hopes of being granted asylum or slipping across the U.S. border undetected.
Nevertheless, the President’s tweets echo the administration’s growing frustration as their attempts to reform U.S. immigration policy continue to struggle. The President is even urging Republicans to use a “Nuclear Option” if necessary. The nuclear option would require the Senate to change the rules and lower the threshold to end a filibuster from 60 votes to 51. It would have the effect of weakening the power of the minority party and would help Republicans push border security legislation through Congress.
Berardi Immigration Law will continue to closely monitor all immigrant news and provide our clients with the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. Be sure to check back for more news updates!
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