DREAM Act Portal Forum - Trump to talk Dreamers protections with Senate Republicans

DREAM Act Portal Forum (http://dreamact.info/forum/index.php)

- The News Room (http://dreamact.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=23)

- - Trump to talk Dreamers protections with Senate Republicans (http://dreamact.info/forum/showthread.php?t=84207)

Trump to talk Dreamers protections with Senate Republicans

Here we go again...

Quote:

President Donald Trump is expected to host Republican senators at the White House Thursday to discuss offers to give legal status to people who came to the country illegally as children, according to a person familiar with the plans.

The group will include Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who is pushing a proposal to protect the so-called Dreamers, an offer that would open up a contentious debate on immigration in an election year. Hardliners who have opposed such efforts in the past are expected to attend the meeting, as well. Dreamers currently have temporary legal protections under an Obama-era program that Trump has tried to undo.

Graham, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has long pushed for a massive rewrite of the nation’s immigration laws. He acknowledged Thursday that he has “put ideas forward” in anticipation of an upcoming Supreme Court ruling that could overturn the temporary protections the Obama administration implemented for Dreamers, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

“We got called over,” Graham told POLITICO. “I think the president will win in court on DACA that he can set aside the Obama-era DACA rules, then what do you do? I mean If you’re going to give them legal status I hope we get something for it.”

Other senators invited to the meeting are Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Martha McSally of Arizona, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, David Perdue of Georgia and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Perdue and Tillis have been pushing the White House to expand the number of temporary foreign workers in the United States.

The White House has been in quiet talks with lawmakers on immigration for months, even as Trump continues to campaign on reducing the number of immigrants in the United States illegally.

Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, has been pushing a 600-page bill that would grant permanent status to more high-skilled, well-educated immigrants, while reducing the number of immigrants who enter the U.S. based on family ties. Trump unveiled the contours of that proposal in May but has not won much support for the offer.

In recent months, the administration has also been in talks with senators about legislation that would create new categories of temporary worker visas or lengthen the allotted stays for those workers.

During the 2016 election, Trump vowed to end the DACA program, which gave temporary protections to about 800,000 Dreamers. In 2017, he tried to make good on his promise, but two federal courts ordered him to keep it in place until the Supreme Court weighed in, which is likely to occur this summer.

Trump tried to strike an ambitious deal with Democrats that would have protected Dreamers in exchange for his immigration priorities, such as money for a southern border wall. But that effort quickly died in Congress amid a backlash from immigration hawks, who blasted it for protecting immigrants in the United States illegally.

Immigrant advocates say the administration is not sincere in its efforts to provide permanent legal status for Dreamers.

“President Trump should extend permission permanently for all Dreamers to work and live in the U.S.," said Kerri Talbot, director of federal advocacy for the Immigration Hub. "Democrats are not going to let Dreamers be held hostage by this administration and give into ridiculous demands."

Groups seeking to reduce overall migration worry that any deal Trump makes to protect Dreamers would mean going against his own promise to reduce overall immigration.

“In response to a potential Supreme Court decision on DACA, we expect Republican lawmakers to give President Trump political advice consistent with what got him elected in 2016,” said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which wants to cut the number of immigrants in the country. “A decision ending DACA is not an ‘emergency’ that needs to be exploited to advance Senator Graham’s amnesty agenda.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

[Source]