President Trump faces a defining moment as he considers what to do about the DACA mess and the wall along the southern border that was the central promise of his campaign. Will the president make good on his repeated vows to establish a pro-citizen, pro-worker immigration policy—including a wall? Or will he accept the same old “amnesty now, enforcement later” bargain that has been on the table for years?
Trump supporters like me are understandably nervous. To be clear, we are not upset about the president’s willingness to find a deal that would allow the “dreamers” who were brought to this country as children to remain here legally. We support the president’s interest in finding a legislative solution to replace the unconstitutional executive action that President Barack Obama imposed with his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
What we cannot support is a DACA deal that deals with the dreamers alone, without paying for the wall and making other efforts to enforce and strengthen immigration laws. Accepting a dreamers-only deal would enrage and alienate the president’s base. Republican voters bristle at being compelled to negotiate for enforcement of existing immigration laws or border protections. These are basic responsibilities of government—not bargaining chips . . . Read the rest at the Washington Post.