Trump will almost certainly pull the plug on DACA, perhaps as soon as today or tomorrow. Back in February, he said, “We are gonna deal with DACA with heart.” But he’s a heartless liar, so that’s meaningless. Maybe he’ll wait until Hurricane Irma is menacing a coast before making the announcement — to maximize ratings.
The first order of business before Trump kills the program is to make your voice heard and support people in DACA status however you can. But if Trump kills the program, which enjoys broad support among Americans, it will also be important to tie the GOP to that decision.
John Stoehr published a piece in U.S. News yesterday demonstrating that anti-immigrant hysteria is now the mainstream GOP position and tying it to white supremacy more broadly. It’s worth a read.
Stoehr traces the modern flareup of anti-immigrant fever back to GWB’s attempt at bipartisan immigration reform and the subsequent freak-out over President Obama’s election. That made the GOP an easy acquisition target for a racist, xenophobic demagogue.
Stoehr also points out that GOP officials in red states are suing the government over DACA anyway, so it doesn’t much matter what Trump does. Here’s an excerpt:
Now comes the moment in which the Trump administration must choose: Does it give in to the demands of white supremacists whose social order is imperiled by immigrants, or does it make them fight for it in court? Practically speaking, it may not matter. Texas and other Republican states are almost certainly going to find another friendly judge, perhaps Hanen again, and the Trump administration is unlikely to put up a fight. But even if it did, the U.S. Supreme Court is now back to full strength. Justice Neil Gorsuch would almost certainly prevent another tie.
The conclusion is grim. Once Trump rescinds DACA, or Republican states force an injunction, immigration authorities can use DACA’s database to locate and deport nearly a million smart, educated and industrious men and women, those who would contribute the most to their respective communities. There will be a legal battle, but by the time that fight is over, hundreds or thousands will have been deported. It’s a national disgrace.
It is a national disgrace alright, but more specifically, it’s a Republican disgrace. It will be important to underscore that fact when ICE starts hunting down promising college students and hardworking taxpayers.
I know some young folks who are in DACA status, and they’ve been living in fear since the election. They are every bit as American as I am, and it’s horrifying to think of them being picked up by the ICE-stapo and dumped in a country they don’t know.
These are brilliant, hardworking kids. They are also 10 times more worthwhile as human beings than any Trump ever pooped out by a D-list model, foreign or domestic. I think that’s what scares the white supremacist shitheads the most.
ETA:
BREAKING NEWS: Fox News has learned @POTUS will end "#DACA" program as it currently exists. pic.twitter.com/pnZUhyTQZ1
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 31, 2017
Spray-tanned clown-ass motherfucker.