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DACA Hysteria & Trump’s Negotiating Leverage

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Last night, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer had dinner with President Trump. After the meeting, this was tweeted out…

…and all hell  broke loose.

President Trump responded this morning:

He reiterated the Wall will be built:

But then he muddied the waters with these:

Before a departure for Florida, he clarified his remarks:

Upon arrival, he continued, noting, “We have to have the wall. If we don’t have the wall, we’re doing nothing.” Start video at 4:56:

Asked by a reporter if he favored amnesty, Trump replied, “DACA. The word is DACA.”

Meanwhile, Pelosi and Schumer backtracked somewhat on their original statement from the dinner meeting with this:

“Both sides agreed the Wall would not be any part of this agreement”

So what, exactly, is going on?

Well, for starters, some serious negotiations.

Note that President Trump is refusing to directly tie DACA to the Wall. To do so would have been foolish. President Trump is attempting to negotiate something significant in exchange for support of a deal on DACA.

My guess is it may be some variant of the RAISE Act.

The Wall – which currently has eight prototypes under construction – needs to remain a standalone issue. President Trump has consistently maintained he will fulfill this promise. With his 3 month lifting of the debt ceiling, the Wall funding will almost certainly be included in the Budget Bill – which has to be signed on December 9, 2017.

Meanwhile, DACA officially expires on March 6, 2018.

Note the discrepancy in dates.

DACA is dead. President Trump killed it. There will be no additional illegal aliens filling the roster. Current estimates have “Dreamers” at about 800,000. This number can be reduced significantly as the rolls are purged of those who fabricated their applications.

But let’s be honest. A path to citizenship for those sheltered under DACA is Delayed Amnesty.

Here’s how I shake out on the issue:

I strongly dislike the idea of large numbers of illegals effectively cutting the line in front of those attempting to emigrate legally.

I strongly dislike seeing illegal behavior rewarded.

I hate the unconstitutional nature of DACA.

I hate seeing DACA undermine our Sovereignty.

I am also a pragmatist.

If we are able to exact significant concessions on immigration, border security and hopefully gain the enactment of something resembling the RAISE Act in exchange for citizenship path for roughly 500,000 illegals, I would be more than willing to make that trade.

Period. Full stop.

We know negotiations have begun. But we are not privy to what’s been discussed. On August 2, 2017, President Trump publicly put forth support for the RAISE Act. The RAISE Act, which will be met with significant opposition, has incredible merits and would be of great benefit to our nation. It won’t be an easy fight but its a fight worth pursuing.

For those doubting President Trump’s stance, ask yourself this question:

If Trump is so enamored of Amnesty for illegals, why didn’t he simply leave DACA as it was?

Answer:

He killed DACA in order to create a powerful bargaining chip from nothing.

Democrats are now being strong-armed into negotiations over border security precisely because President Trump now has a strategic bargaining advantage he did not have two weeks ago.

I think everyone needs to take a deep breath, sit back and wait for concrete developments.

I think the current internet hysteria is both overwrought and uninformed.

I am going to reserve judgement until I see what is written in any actual bill.

I am hopeful that I will like what I ultimately see.

 

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