President Donald Trump honored deceased Democrat and Civil Rights leader Barbara Jordan in a Wednesday presidential message.
“Barbara Jordan challenged our Nation’s leaders to maximize opportunities for all Americans by adopting an immigration policy that puts American citizens first,” Trump said in his message.
He added, “Jordan called for an end to chain migration, which has allowed millions upon millions of low-skilled foreign nationals to compete for opportunities and resources against our most vulnerable American citizens—many of whom come from African-American and Hispanic-American communities.”
The president’s message comes as the administration is embroiled in negotiations over the future of Obama-era protections for illegal immigrants. Trump ended the DACA program in September and told Congress that if it wanted to keep the protections, which last till March, then it had to end chain migration, include funding for a border wall, and end the diversity visa lottery system.
Democratic lawmakers have rejected so far any possible deal to codify DACA into law, predominately opposed to funding for a border wall. The president has lamented that this sticking point could mean that “DACA is dead.” Lawmakers have also indicated they shut the government down on Jan 19 without any DACA deal.