Democratic lawmakers reacted with fury to the announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the administration is rescinding the DACA program, blasting the ‘heartless’ decision and warning President Trump to brace himself for a tough reaction.
Sessions called the executive order issued by President Obama for children who were brought here illegally as immigrants ‘inconsistent’ with the separation of powers, announcing Tuesday that the Trump administration was winding it down.
Democrats immediately hit back with a coordinated push online that pitched the hashtag ‘#DefendDACA,’ the acronym for the deferred action order.
‘Ending DACA is a heartless decision that breaks the President’s promise to kids who were brought here through no fault of their own,’ said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who was Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate.
‘Trump’s cowardice is on full display today,’ wrote Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi after the DACA announcement
House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California issued one of many charged statements on the topic.
‘Trump’s cowardice is on full display today. His cruelty must not stand! #ProtectDREAMers,’ Pelosi wrote.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) warned Trump to ‘brace’ himself after the move. ‘Mr. President, You went after children. You better brace yourself for the civil rights fight of our generation. #DefendDACA,’ Menendez wrote. Menendez, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, goes on trial this week on corruption charges.
Menendez wrote in another tweet: ‘This brazen attack on young ppl won’t go unanswered. Passing a clean DREAM Act is now a national emergency. #DefendDACA #DREAMAct #DACAWorks.’
Democratic lawmakers reacted with fury to the announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the administration was rescinding DACA
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) blasted the decision to wind-down DACA on Tuesday
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was among Democrats who pounded President Trump for the DACA decision
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who is mentioned among a bevy of potential presidential candidates, wrote on Twitter: ‘It’s simply wrong to needlessly target hardworking young adults in order to score political points. #DefendDACA.’
She said in a longer statement: ‘President Trump’s action today is an affront to who we are as Americans. He is needlessly targeting children who know no other country as home than America. This does not make our communities safer or our economy stronger.’
Activists asked Trump not to end DACA during a protest Monday outside the White House
President Donald Trump signaled his intent this morning to end a program that allows illegal immigrants who arrived as children to live and work in the US without fear of deportation
Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at a briefing on Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals, at the Department of Justice Washington, DC, USA, 05 September 2017
A weekend report said Trump was planning to eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals scheme that his predecessor implemented five years ago at the conclusion of a six-month waiting period
Gillibrand continued: ‘In fact, it does just the opposite. Congress must lead where the President won’t and pass the DREAM Act. America does not merely tolerate immigration – we thrive on it, and we are better than needlessly targeting hardworking young adults to score crass partisan points.’
‘It should be evident from the fear and confusion surrounding #DACA that executive actions have a short-shelf life,’ wrote Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)
‘Ending DACA to fulfill a bigoted campaign promise is cruel, unnecessary & undermines our values,’ wrote Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who represents part of Miami, wrote: ‘Proudly stand with #dreamers + strongly disagree w/ decision to end #DACA.’
Attorney General Jeff Sessions says the Trump administration will ‘wind down’ an Obama-era program that allows illegal immigrants who arrived as children to live and work in the US without fear of deportation
Their online pushback was reflected by protesters, who took to Trump Tower and the home of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump to display their anger.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) called for finding ‘consensus’ on the topic – although such a consensus has bedeviled Congress for years – and blasted Obama’s order as an abuse that may have been ‘well-intentioned.’
‘However well-intentioned, President Obama’s DACA program was a clear abuse of executive authority, an attempt to create law out of thin air. Just as the courts have already struck down similar Obama policy, this was never a viable long-term solution to this challenge,’ Ryan wrote in a statement.
‘Congress writes laws, not the president, and ending this program fulfills a promise that President Trump made to restore the proper role of the executive and legislative branches.’
Ryan continued: ‘But now there is more to do, and the president has called on Congress to act. The president’s announcement does not revoke permits immediately, and it is important that those affected have clarity on how this interim period will be carried out.’
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said in a statement he hoped Congress could reach a ‘consensus’ on the issue
Ryan wrote that the issued involved ‘young people who came to this country through no fault of their own, and for many of them it’s the only country they know.’
But he called their status one of ‘many issues,’ including border security – a reflection of calls to somehow tie DREAMer legislation to Trump’s proposed border wall, which is anathema to Democrats.
‘It is my hope that the House and Senate, with the president’s leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country,’ Ryan wrote.