Editorial

Trump Provokes Democrats Into Showing Their True Colors On Immigration

REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

Scott Greer Contributor
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The White House announced on Thursday its offer of what it wants in exchange for granting a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal aliens who came to the U.S. as minors.

An end to chain migration, $25 billion for border wall funding and the elimination of the diversity visa lottery are the demands the Trump administration expect to be met in order to earn the president’s approval for a legislative fix to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Giving amnesty to 1.8 million illegal immigrants seems like President Trump is willing to concede a lot to Democrats in Congress in order to build the wall and make serious reforms to immigration policy.

But in spite of the major concession on the part of the White House, Democrats and left-wing activists are treating the offer as a “legislative burning cross.”

“This isn’t a counter offer; it’s a legislative burning cross. This isn’t an offer of someone who wants to get to a deal–it’s attempting to use the DREAMers as pawns to change the entire legal immigration system and get every item on Stephen Miller’s white supremacist wish list,” immigration activist Eddie Vale said of the deal.

“Let’s call this proposal for what it is: a white supremacist ransom note,” immigrant advocacy group United We Dream declared in a statement. “Trump and [White House aide] Stephen Miller killed DACA and created the crisis that immigrant youth are facing. They have taken immigrant youth hostage, pitting us against our own parents, Black immigrants and our communities in exchange for our dignity.” (RELATED: Dem Response To Trump’s Immigration Plan Is Wildly Out Of Touch With American Voters)

Democratic leaders also voiced similar rhetoric in rejecting the compromise.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who has been heavily involved in the DACA negotiations, called the plan “a crusade to tear families apart.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated Trump is using Dreamers “as a tool to tear apart our legal immigration system and adopt the wish list that anti-immigration hardliners have advocated for for years.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the offer amounted to a “campaign to make America white again.”

So it appears highly unlikely that congressional Democrats will accept the White House’s conciliatory offer and now insist that not only Dreamers deserve legalization, but so do their parents.

The amnesty they want would give way more than 1.8 million foreign nationals legalization. Democrats also don’t want to agree to any measures that would reduce immigration in any way.

Guess they think their electoral success depends on as many immigrants coming to the country as possible, regardless of what American citizens want. Additionally, Democrats now see anyone who would like to see a wall on the southern border or reductions in immigration as an evil white supremacist.

A message that will surely help them win back the Rust Belt…

The response to the White House’s DACA deal is undeniable proof that radical identity politics has taken over the Left and prevents them from legislating in the interests of average Americans. According to a recent Harvard poll, 81 percent of Americans want immigration reduced and 65 percent agree with giving amnesty for Dreamers in exchange for Trump’s reforms (funding the wall, ending chain migration and eliminating the visa lottery). Sixty percent of Americans oppose giving amnesty to the parents of Dreamers, a primary demand of Democrats.

Weird how 65 percent of Americans — many of whom are minorities — fully support something leftists see as a legislative burning cross.

There’s a strong possibility the Trump administration knew this would be the response to their plan, seeing as immigration hawk Stephen Miller was the one who unveiled it to reporters. By agreeing to the main demand of Democrats — legalizing all illegal aliens who came here as minors, not just those who have received DACA — Trump looked as if he was serious about making a compromise as long as his own stipulations were met.

Democrats, on the other hand, look not serious about making a real compromise and only want to stick with the terrible deal they made with pro-amnesty Republicans last week — a pitiful amount for border security while legalizing all Dreamers and their family members. That’s not a real deal, but that’s all Democrats are willing to agree to.

Unfortunately for Trump’s opponents, their bargaining is much weaker after caving in on the government shutdown. They’re not willing to go the distance in preventing funding for the troops and other government employees just so they will get the most favorable deal on illegal immigrants. They know it plays poorly with voters, and Trump and the Republicans know Democrats don’t want to risk another fruitless shutdown over DACA.

If the White House sticks to its offer, it will force Democrats to either agree to it or get no legislative fix to DACA at all. It’s provoking Democrats to show their true priorities on immigration and align against the interests of the average American.

Trump supporters should be pleased if the president sticks with this strong bargaining position.

Democrats, not so much.

Follow Scott on Twitter and buy his new book, “No Campus for White Men.”

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