*U.S. Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions – who has long fought legal status for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, through no fault of their own – on Tuesday announced the Trump administration would rescind former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, calling the order “unconstitutional.”
“To have a lawful system of immigration, we cannot admit everyone who wants to come here. It’s just that simple,” Sessions said during a speech Tuesday morning, adding the policy’s removal would make the U.S. safer and more secure. “Ending the previous administration’s disrespect for the legal process is an important first step.”
Obama’s executive order in June 2012 suspended the deportation of young undocumented immigrants and allowed them to apply for temporary legal status—a move that irked Sessions. “There is no question that the administration’s unilaterally decreed policy is contrary to codified federal law and places our law enforcement officers in an untenable position,” Sessions wrote in a letter later that year, according to The New York Times.
Obama had sought to get approval of the Dream Act before the end of the lame-duck Congress in 2010. But the bill faced strong opposition from Republicans and some Democrats, with then-Senator Sessions writing a “Dear Colleague” letter to fellow senators on December 2 that attacked the bill.
“The DREAM Act would force jobless Americans to compete with millions of newly authorized workers, provide legal shelter for criminal aliens, and strain limited resources through generous grants of federal education benefits,” Sessions wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Politico. “Congress would be sending a message that we have effectively given up on enforcement of our immigration laws and instead seek to reward those who illegally enter the country.”
During the Senate vote about two weeks later, the bill fell five votes short of passing. Sessions reportedly said afterward: “This bill is a law that at its fundamental core is a reward for illegal activity.”
President Trump announced his displeasure with DACA on Tuesday morning in language that mirrored what Sessions wrote in his 2010 letter. “We are a nation of laws. No longer will we incentivize illegal immigration,” the president wrote on Twitter. Make no mistake, we are going to put the interest of AMERICAN CITIZENS FIRST!”
Protests against Trump are already underway at the White House and at Trump Tower, with some arrests reported. Also, immediate reaction to Sessions’ speech are being shared on social media.
Watch below:
Dreamers en Arizona escuchan a Sessions con lágrimas y dolor pic.twitter.com/Ck0SgrawjT
— Fernando Peinado (@FernandoPeinado) September 5, 2017
RT CNNnewsroom: #DACA recipient Greisa Martinez: “Immigrant young people are ready to fight like hell” to protect … https://t.co/WQbVUcMzTO
— Enterate On Line (@EnterateLine) September 5, 2017
March in protest of DACA decision starting at White House. They plan to go to Trump Hotel, Justice Department, ICE HQ. pic.twitter.com/HzYdF9Ujtt
— Tom Roussey (@tomrousseyABC7) September 5, 2017
Friends comfort Abril Gallardo, a 27-year-old dreamer in Phoenix. Before she told me “they can take away DACA but not our power” pic.twitter.com/IqJbkEggfC
— Fernando Peinado (@FernandoPeinado) September 5, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Trump Fulfills White Supremacist Agenda With Decision to End #DACA.https://t.co/0D6k3yKCHt pic.twitter.com/MFeRmQaGyN
— United We Dream (@UNITEDWEDREAM) September 5, 2017
Mark Zuckerberg reacts to #DACA being rescinded, urges us all to call Congress to pass the #DREAMAct immediately: pic.twitter.com/363wAzMzT4
— Alida Garcia (@leedsgarcia) September 5, 2017
Arrests taking place outside #Trump Tower. Sorry it’s so shaky #DACA #SinDACASinMiedo pic.twitter.com/uPxxszXJgx
— Lucy Westcott ? (@lvzwestcott) September 5, 2017
All the news nets take Attorney General Sessions statement live ending #DACA policy protecting 800,000 “Dreamers.” pic.twitter.com/fQ3I4YQskY
— Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) September 5, 2017
#TheView Reacts To #DACA Ending On Season Premiere – WATCH: https://t.co/PzOVAKvYTy pic.twitter.com/gCJ3D6TXit
— Gossip Cop (@GossipCop) September 5, 2017
1. @SenKamalaHarris statement on #DACA pic.twitter.com/j5WDBwGHki
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) September 5, 2017
President Trump’s decision to end #DACA strikes a blow against our core American values and is an affront to basic human decency. pic.twitter.com/bGZ0iws8Y2
— Mayor Rahm Emanuel (@ChicagosMayor) September 5, 2017
#DACA protest outside White House grows pic.twitter.com/034sIWuoYv
— ABC 7 News – WJLA (@ABC7News) September 5, 2017
Homeland Security will no longer accept #DACA applications. Current recipients won’t be affected until March. https://t.co/GBCgiSEuFK pic.twitter.com/1u8YFLTdvL
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 5, 2017
UPDATE: Trump says #DACA recipients are not priorities for immigration law enforcement unless they are criminals https://t.co/szrCrKsQFj pic.twitter.com/IlNntKMYUa
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) September 5, 2017
Mark Ruffalo, Chelsea Handler, Kristen Bell, Judd Apatow & More Hollywood Stars React To Trump Ending #DACA https://t.co/6jRrN7YAgs
— Gossip Cop (@GossipCop) September 5, 2017
At protest outside WH, DNC Chair @TomPerez says Dreamers may be undocumented but are unafraid and are Americans. pic.twitter.com/wZDiz3OFlW
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) September 5, 2017
House Speaker Paul Ryan statement pushes for Congress to act on fate of DREAMERs pic.twitter.com/4MtVOAdBz6
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) September 5, 2017
Trump expected to allow Dreamers to renew work permits for next 6 months https://t.co/77H9AB7Zzv pic.twitter.com/k3ihgIXBJs
— POLITICO 45 (@politico_45) September 5, 2017
Flashback: @SenKamalaHarris pressed Gen Kelly on protecting #DREAMers. He refused so she voted against him. pic.twitter.com/XevVEk9dle
— Tyrone Gayle (@TyroneGayle) September 5, 2017
These #Dreamers were willing to give their lives for this country. We should thank them, not deport them #defendDACA https://t.co/K8DkXWtD8a
— Rep. Norma Torres (@NormaJTorres) September 5, 2017
Dreamers hold vigil outside Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s home to save DACA https://t.co/7pLSfsMtpV pic.twitter.com/iRgtb6TyHl
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) September 5, 2017
Tim Cook tweeted that “250 of my Apple coworkers are #Dreamers. I stand with them.” https://t.co/KEENkHHboA
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 5, 2017
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