Abrar Hussain
A White House chief of staff said Tuesday that “Dreamers” are not top targets for deportation as long as they lack criminal records. A federal judge has indefinitely blocked Trump from terminating DACA’s protections for the so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the U.S. as children and are living here illegally. The program shields them from deportation and gives them the right to hold jobs.Many lawmakers are uneasy about what might happen to the Dreamers after March 5, and Democrats and Trump himself are using that uncertainty as leverage to help force a deal. Kelly’s remarks seemed aimed at easing worries that major deportations of Dreamers could begin right away.He described a lengthy legal process that often takes years that immigrants in the U.S. illegally face before they are deported. He said an immigrant here illegally who doesn’t commit crimes “never comes onto anyone’s scope.”He added, “They are not a priority for deportation.”Democrats strongly oppose limiting legal immigration, and conservatives are against giving citizenship to DACA recipients. Trump’s bill has gotten little traction in Congress. Trump said last September that he was ending the DACA program, complaining that Obama had overstepped his legal authority in creating it.But while his 2016 election campaign was laced with anti-immigrant remarks, he’s expressed sympathy for the Dreamers and he gave Congress until March 5 to pass legislation protecting them.
-Source: Time