Donald Trump has once again put himself at odds with the vast majority of the American people, as more than three-quarters of the country believe that Dreamers – undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children – should not be deported.
According to the survey from Morning Consult/Politico, a whopping 76 percent of respondents said these immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States and either gain citizenship or legal status.
On Tuesday, of course, Trump wheeled out Attorney General Jeff Sessions to do what he didn’t have the nerve to do – announce that the administration is ending former President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program.
Trump’s move means that hundreds of thousands of Dreamers that were protected by the former president will be eligible for deportation as early as next March.
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As Joy Reid of MSNBC wrote on Twitter Tuesday, there is no economic or national security rationale for the president’s decision. It’s purely an attempt to play more racial politics.
There is no economic, national security or social cohesion rationale for ending DACA. This is purely Trump’s nod to racial resentment.
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 4, 2017
The president said today that he has “a great love” for these young immigrants, but leaked documents show that the White House is planning to tell Dreamers to make deport themselves, despite the fact that many of them have no homes outside of the U.S.
Not only does Trump’s move put himself squarely on the wrong side of public opinion and American history – what’s new? – but he is also putting his party in the position to lose one of the fastest growing voting blocs for generations to come.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
