The END of DACA - Trump Era

The White House: Has released a Statement by President Trump on the end of DACA, " 

As President, my highest duty is to defend the American people and the Constitution of the United States of America.  At the same time, I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents.  But we must also recognize that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.

The legislative branch, not the executive branch, writes these laws – this is the bedrock of our Constitutional system, which I took a solemn oath to preserve, protect, and defend.

In June of 2012, President Obama bypassed Congress to give work permits, social security numbers, and federal benefits to approximately 800,000 illegal immigrants currently between the ages of 15 and 36.  The typical recipients of this executive amnesty, known as DACA, are in their twenties.  Legislation offering these same benefits had been introduced in Congress on numerous occasions and rejected each time. 

In referencing the idea of creating new immigration rules unilaterally, President Obama admitted that “I can’t just do these things by myself” – and yet that is exactly what he did, making an end-run around Congress and violating the core tenets that sustain our Republic.  

Officials from 10 States are suing over the program, requiring my Administration to make a decision regarding its legality. The Attorney General of the United States, the Attorneys General of many states, and virtually all other top legal experts have advised that the program is unlawful and unconstitutional and cannot be successfully defended in court.

There can be no path to principled immigration reform if the executive branch is able to rewrite or nullify federal laws at will.

The temporary implementation of DACA by the Obama Administration, after Congress repeatedly rejected this amnesty-first approach, also helped spur a humanitarian crisis – the massive surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America including, in some cases, young people who would become members of violent gangs throughout our country, such as MS-13.

Only by the reliable enforcement of immigration law can we produce safe communities, a robust middle class, and economic fairness for all Americans.

Therefore, in the best interests of our country, and in keeping with the obligations of my office, the Department of Homeland Security will begin an orderly transition and wind-down of DACA, one that provides minimum disruption.  While new applications for work permits will not be accepted, all existing work permits will be honored until their date of expiration up to two full years from today.  Furthermore, applications already in the pipeline will be processed, as will renewal applications for those facing near-term expiration.  This is a gradual process, not a sudden phase out.  Permits will not begin to expire for another six months, and will remain active for up to 24 months.  Thus, in effect, I am not going to just cut DACA off, but rather provide a window of opportunity for Congress to finally act.

Our enforcement priorities remain unchanged. We are focused on criminals, security threats, recent border-crossers, visa overstays, and repeat violators.  I have advised the Department of Homeland Security that DACA recipients are not enforcement priorities unless they are criminals, are involved in criminal activity, or are members of a gang.

The decades-long failure of Washington, D.C. to enforce federal immigration law has had both predictable and tragic consequences: lower wages and higher unemployment for American workers, substantial burdens on local schools and hospitals, the illicit entry of dangerous drugs and criminal cartels, and many billions of dollars a year in costs paid for by U.S. taxpayers.  Yet few in Washington expressed any compassion for the millions of Americans victimized by this unfair system.  Before we ask what is fair to illegal immigrants, we must also ask what is fair to American families, students, taxpayers, and jobseekers.

Congress now has the opportunity to advance responsible immigration reform that puts American jobs and American security first.  We are facing the symptom of a larger problem, illegal immigration, along with the many other chronic immigration problems Washington has left unsolved.  We must reform our green card system, which now favors low-skilled immigration and puts immense strain on U.S. taxpayers.  We must base future immigration on merit – we want those coming into the country to be able to support themselves financially, to contribute to our economy, and to love our country and the values it stands for.  Under a merit-based system, citizens will enjoy higher employment, rising wages, and a stronger middle class.  Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue have introduced the RAISE Act, which would establish this merit-based system and produce lasting gains for the American People.

I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to finally address all of these issues in a manner that puts the hardworking citizens of our country first.

As I’ve said before, we will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion – but through the lawful Democratic process – while at the same time ensuring that any immigration reform we adopt provides enduring benefits for the American citizens we were elected to serve.  We must also have heart and compassion for unemployed, struggling, and forgotten Americans.

Above all else, we must remember that young Americans have dreams too. Being in government means setting priorities. Our first and highest priority in advancing immigration reform must be to improve jobs, wages and security for American workers and their families.  

It is now time for Congress to act! "

Lets Get Real:

The President is a political cowards, he does not have the guts to come out to face the press when it comes to DACA, he is pleasing his BASE support, while the news cycle will have the Attorney General stating the policy and leaving it to the US Congress to come up with a deal.  After all the get outs what happens to the DACA Dreamers once their permit runs out, will they be dragged to a plane or bus and sent back to their original Countries, the US Congress must act, if the President and the US Congress could act in 1986 why can they not  NOW, there is a difference, Reagan supported amnesty and the House was in control of the Democrats.    One can see the US Courts will be very busy!! The Democrats and Moderate Republicans must get a deal, it's the only just action. 

Putin on North Korea - North Korean Crisis

BBC News: Reports " Russian President Vladimir Putin has said pursuing further sanctions against North Korea is "useless", saying "they'd rather eat grass than give up their nuclear programme".  "

Lets Get Real:

The Russians as the article states are fed up with the sanctions they face over the takeover of the Crimea, they do not want to see a United Korea under the influence of the West.  The question is will they VETO a UN resolution that places new tough sanctions on North Korea, this would do down poorly with the US and the US Congress would increase its investigation of Russian meddling in the US Presidential Election of 2016.   The South Koreans think that the North will launch another ICBM over the weekend, this could be the straw that breaks the US, they might shoot down any new missiles, they would dare the North Koreans to react, it could lead to WAR. The next few days will be very interesting. 

Is North Korea Begging for War ? - North Korean Crisis

Telegraph - Live Reporting: Reports in its 3.32pm post the following, " Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, has said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is "begging for war".  "

Lets Get Real:

The US has had enough of the talks with North Korea and China trying to avoid the problem, the UN should place the toughest sanction on North Korea, the US should blockade North Korea, the US should threaten to stop ALL trade with China if it keeps North Korea going.  This is the time for the UN and the West to stand up to North Korea, no more nice cop, it's time for the bad cop, the tough one who scares the living daylights out of you. Time is short, and action is needed. 

Talks with North Korea - North Korean Crisis

Guardian: Reports " All sides in the North Korea crisis agree there are no good options. Sanctions, the most complex ever designed by the UN, are of limited effect unless an oil embargo is imposed – in which case the whole country slides into chaos, something China opposes. A military assault is likely to lead to reprisals and mass casualties that would dwarf Hiroshima. "

Lets Get Real:

It can be postulated that everyone who has written or commented on the North Korean crisis agree that there are no good outcomes, either you appease or you go to WAR.   The endless talks with North Korea have done NOTHING, just allowed North Korea to lie about the development of their nuclear structure, thus you are left with WAR.   It is better to take out the North Korean regime now before it develops more ICBM's or to attack if they attack first.   Let's turn the question around, what if the US and its allies with ALL their forces took out the North Korean Regime, hit any conventional shells aimed at the South Korean Capital, take out the North Korean Nuclear structure, in essence destroy North Korea to save North Korea, the uber left and liberals would be up in the arms, they always oppose, but this might be the ONLY choice left, look how appeasement worked in the 1930s, it lead to World War 2.   There are lessons from history, the question is do we understand them in present. 

More Missiles Tests by North Korea - North Korean Crisis

BBC News: Reports " South Korea says it has seen indications that the North is preparing more missile launches, possibly an intercontinental ballistic missile. "

Lets Get Real:

The North Koreans are putting two fingers up to the UN and the West, POTUS is right about one thing, force is the only thing that North Korean understands.  As stated in this blog the US should blockade North Korea and place nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan.  The Chinese Government would have to think hard, does it want a  nuclear South Korea and Japan across the water from it, it would force China to do something about North Korea, they could switch off the lights in North Korea at any time.   The US has to make it clear to China that the costs of supporting North Korea is a frozen US- China relationship, even stopping ALL trade with China as long as it keeps North Korea going. 

Trump on North Korean Nuclear Test - Update 2 - North Korean Crisis

Mail on Sunday: Reports " 'They only understand one thing': Trump comes out fighting and agrees to 'military response' after North Korea celebrates its most powerful nuclear test ever and sparks 6.3 magnitude quake  "

Lets Get Real:

The US has to do something drastic, either it accepts North Korea as a nuclear power or it rolls it back, by force if necessary.   The US should get South Korea and Japan to ask for the bomb, that will get the attention of China and North Korea.   The costs of supporting North Korea by China is getting way out of hand, while it might be in the strategic interest of China that the US has to deal with North Korea while it has its own ambitions in the area, the costs are getting out of hand, the tail of the dog is running rings around China.  It is losing face in the region.   Thus it will be interesting to see what the Trump Oval does over the next few hours and days. 

North Korean Nuclear Test - North Korean Crisis

BBC News: Reports " The US has joined North Korea's regional neighbours in condemning the secretive communist state's latest nuclear weapons test. "

Lets Get Real:

The Trump Oval has two choices, accept that North Korea as a nuclear power and start on talks that will not remove that, or take military action, as this blog has suggested the US should blockade North Korea, check every ship going to and from North Korea, only allow food in, everything else should be blocked.    The North Koreans will take a weak reaction as a green light to help other rogue nations and to sell their nuclear material to terrorist groups.   IF there is no military reaction, Iran will be the next State to go rogue, it will push the nuclear deal to its limits then go over it. The Liberal Appeasers on CNN and Brookings are like the The Times and the BBC in the 1930s when they supported the Appeasement policy of Neville Chamberlain.