If anyone needed a reminder that Trump’s campaign promises were just the stuff of smoke and mirrors, here we go again.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, as he traveled to France, Trump addressed the DACA (or “Dreamers”) program, put into place by then-President Obama, in 2012, Trump used a term most often used by liberals and amnesty humps, as a defense for letting over 700,000 immigrants, here illegally, stay – comprehensive immigration plan.
“What I’d like to do is a comprehensive immigration plan. But our country and political forces are not ready yet,” Mr. Trump said.
“It’s a decision that I make and it’s a decision that’s very very hard to make. I really understand the situation now,” he said.
He added, “There are two sides of a story. It’s always tough.”
The DACA program has been kept in place by Trump and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
This is not without challengers, however.
There are many who question the legality of the program, and have since Obama put it in place.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said that if Mr. Trump doesn’t revoke the program by September, he’ll challenge DACA as part of a lawsuit that already halted DAPA, Mr. Obama’s broader 2014 amnesty. Legal analysts say that they can’t see DACA surviving a challenge in a world where DAPA has already been ruled likely illegal.
Secretary Kelly, himself, addressed Hispanic members of Congress, expressing doubts, but added that any legal questions would be left in the hands of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
And while Immigrants-rights groups will fight to keep DACA in place, many of those who supported Candidate Trump consider ending illegal immigration to be a cornerstone of his campaign promises.
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