What a coincidence—as Donald Trump prepares for his unwelcome visit to Phoenix, Arizona, tonight to possibly pardon convicted criminal Joe Arpaio for his crimes against brown Maricopa County residents, McClatchy reports on a Ivanka Trump/Jared Kushner-led immigration “deal” that would continue Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections for immigrant youth “in exchange for legislation that pays for a border wall and more detention facilities, curbs legal immigration and implements E-verify.” Here’s the thing, though: a deal is something that works out for both sides. This “deal” is bullshit.
Instead, this is nothing more than a nativist wish-list proposed by an anti-immigrant hate group with deep ties to white supremacists, and a “deal” that tries to use the lives of 800,000 immigrant youth who have called the U.S. their home as a bargaining chip in order to enact a racist, anti-immigrant agenda that will continue to terrorize immigrant families. Don’t be fooled—if White House officials like Ivanka and Jared want to treat Dreamers with “great heart” as Trump has previously said, they should just do it (and while we’re at it, maybe McClatchy can refrain from quoting not one, but two anti-immigrant groups like they offer any sort of substantive debate?).
Cristina Jimenez, leader with immigrant youth organization United We Dream:
“My brother has DACA and my parents are undocumented. I ask Members of Congress and all people to think of their own families before considering this latest “deal” from Trump to use my brother’s welfare to put a hit out on my parents. Would you cut a deal which would result in your own mother being chased down and locked into a detention camp to be tormented and abused? The deal is morally wrong and must be rejected.
“We heard the hate-filled chants in Charlottesville calling for a country without people of color, without immigrants. This is no coincidence. The Trump team is pushing a white nationalist agenda to remove immigrants from society, lock us into detention camps and force us out of the country.”
“Immigrant youth will not be used as a bargaining chip for a white supremacist deal to terrorize our parents, families and friends,” Jimenez said. “We renew our call on Trump, General Kelly and those with a conscience at the White House to leave the DACA program alone and we renew our call on Attorney General Paxton to drop his lawsuit threat.”
Responses from congressional leaders and immigrant rights advocates, including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi:
Matt Hildreth, leader with immigrant rights group America’s Voice: For anti-immigrant extremists like Mark Kirkorian and the Center for Immigration Studies, “ending DACA isn’t just about deporting Dreamers who grew up in this country and graduated from our schools, it’s about using these young people as a political pawn to further his hate groups extremist agenda.”