Trump aides plot a big immigration deal - that breaks a campaign promise

[DonViejo]

Source: McClatchy Washington Bureau

BY ANITA KUMAR
[e-mail]

AUGUST 22, 2017

Donald Trump’s top aides are pushing him to protect young people brought into the country illegally as children — and then use the issue as a bargaining chip for a larger immigration deal — despite the president’s campaign vow to deport so-called Dreamers.

The White House officials want Trump to strike an ambitious deal with Congress that offers Dreamers protection in exchange for legislation that pays for a border wall and more detention facilities, curbs legal immigration and implements E-verify, an online system that allows businesses to check immigration status, according to a half-dozen people familiar with situation, most involved with the negotiations.

The group includes former and current White House chiefs of staff, Reince Priebus and John Kelly, the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who both serve as presidential advisers, they said. Others who have not been as vocal publicly about their stance but are thought to agree include Vice President Mike Pence, who as a congressman worked on a failed immigration deal that called for citizenship, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Gary Cohn, a Democrat who serves as director of the National Economic Council.

“They are holding this out as a bargaining chip for other things,” said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman with the Federation for American Reform, a group that opposes protecting Dreamers and is in talks with the administration.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article168425547.html

[geek tragedy]

1. This would be a really awful deal for Democrats, so no chance of this actually happening.

Curbs on LEGAL immigration plus that f@cking wall?

Nope

[Amishman]

9. The problem is he already has the laws he needs to do most of what he wants

The only thing stopping his wall and mass deportations is funding. And the government has proven time and time again, funding is fungible given enough time to craft excuses and reallocate. I think some of this is already happening quietly given the uptick in ICE raids and deportations. It goes both ways, remove Trump and that funding can be shifted away just as easily.

On the other hand, law is much firmer. A new law protecting children for deportation would mean a lot more in the long run. Trading a couple billion in funding for a wall (that won't work anyway) and a haircut on something like guest worker programs might be worth considering for the long term improvement of the legal landscape.

Yes, this would give Trump a victory in the short term, but that isn't going to mean shit once Mueller's findings are public.

If there is opportunity to trade a small short run loss for a long run gain, it's worth considering.

Trump and the Republicans are so fucking desperate for anything at this point and we might be able to exploit their shortsightedness.

[geek tragedy]

10. Funding is not fungible, nor is it infinite.

There was a little change in the couch cushions they can use for studies etc, but he can't take Medicaid money and spend it on his idiot wall.

[Amishman]

11. No, but taking homeland security money to pay for ICE operations along the border might be

I'm pretty this stuff happens regularly

The wall itself is probably harder to fudge into funding, but it's a gimmick anyway

[geek tragedy]

12. So they'd fire ICE agents to free up the funds?

I hope they try that.

[Amishman]

13. Opposite, fudge definitions on homeland security allocated funds to spend extra on ICE

Say it's for 'preventing terrorists from entering the country' but the are really fishing for migrants.

[geek tragedy]

15. So where would the layoffs happen?

[Amishman]

16. My guess would be more of a NPPD outside contract not issued or some dept not getting new toys

Salaries are only a piece of the DHS budget, easier to defer contracts or equipment purchases, or just take it out of discretionary funds.

[geek tragedy]

17. I don't think there's $20 Billion of DHS equipment purchases that can be deferred, nt

[Angry Dragon]

2. usng children as hostages ........... a look into the republican soul

sick bastards

[procon]

3. That load of BS is DOA.

There's still no mention of how Trump would come up with the actual funding needed to pay for any of these expensive projects. Strange how money is never an issue for this bunch of balance-the-budget, cut government spending and waste, financial responsibility liars.

[IronLionZion]

4. They'll eventually come after US citizens born in America too

and request the IP addresses of anyone visiting liberal websites.

Allowing dreamers to stay while putting massive restrictions on legal immigration sounds like BS. Once their get their white supremacist immigration reforms they'll just throw the dreamers out anyway.

[Cicada]

5. This would be a huge political boost for Trump

And Democrats opposing it would be at risk

[paleotn]

7. Not even close.

His mouth breathing base will not go for anything short of deporting every single person who's here illegally. Those clowns will not compromise one bit on that issue....wall or no wall.

[Cicada]

8. Trump or Warren? Freepers will come home to Trump.

Jim Robinson swore he would never support Romney, called him name after name, but Free Republic rallied for him in the end.

Plus there are a lot of softer bigots who will give Trump credit for minimizing nonwhites.

I hope you're right and that I'm wrong. And I am often wrong.

[paleotn]

6. His base will freak..

They want everyone deported. The RWNJs will not compromise on deportation, period, end of story. The rest of the country doesn't trust him as far as they can throw his orange arse. So now he'll have damn near everyone pissed at him. And no matter what they try to bargain with, there will be no wall since it's an incredibly stupid waste of money. Just more bush league BS from the neophytes.

[Blue Idaho]

14. The republican Congress

Is so shattered I doubt they can get a majority to do anything more than give themselves a pay raise.