“FAIR applauds the decision by President Trump to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program,” said FAIR President Dan Stein
(September 5, 2017, Washington, D.C.) – The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of FAIR, regarding the decision by the Trump administration to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program:
“The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) applauds the decision by President Trump to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“In our view, DACA was an unconstitutional abuse of executive authority by President Obama. Before implementing the program in 2012, President Obama stated on 22 previous occasions that he did not have the power to grant de facto amnesty and work authorization to entire classes of illegal aliens. His subsequent efforts to grant similar blanket deferments were found to be unconstitutional by the courts.
“As President Obama stated when he implemented DACA, there were no guarantees that the program would continue after he left office. President Trump repeatedly stated during the campaign that he would end DACA. The winding down period announced today will not only give DACA recipients time to get their affairs in order, but also gives Congress a unique opportunity to reengage in the immigration debate. President Trump has made clear his vision is for real immigration reform, which includes:
Move to merit-based immigration while reducing overall numbers;
Construction of the border wall;
Increased interior enforcement;
Defunding of dangerous and illegal sanctuary cities;
Enact mandatory, national E-Verify to end the jobs magnet.
“Congress should seize this opportunity to come together and forge these much-needed reforms in our nation’s immigration policy. If the Democrats fail to show up at the negotiating table, it raises the legitimate question of whether DACA is something that the Democrats really want, or if it has merely been used as a convenient political football for fundraising and energizing their base.
“President Trump has indicated that he is willing to forge a long-term solution for real immigration reform, but it takes two sides to make a deal. The American public is watching.”
