President Donald Trump is working to stop the flow of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) to the U.S. as part of a “Dreamer” deal with congressional Democrats. The numbers of UACs crossing the border illegally has risen dramatically for the last four consecutive months. Current policy regarding UACs became a draw for increasing numbers of children from Central America.
Trump’s wish list for the legislation to replace President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) includes a proposal to return UACs to their countries of origin, except under certain conditions, Reuters reported Sunday night. Under the Obama Administration, the UACs were allowed to remain in the U.S. creating a huge magnet that led to massive numbers of UAC border apprehensions since 2014.
The latest report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials showed that the number of UAC apprehensions along the southwest border with Mexico increased in September — the fourth straight month of increases, Breitbart Texas reported. The apprehensions in September represent a 200 percent increase from the low point in April.
Reuters released information from a White House list of immigration “principles” that also includes a request for 300 new immigration judges, 1,000 new attorneys for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and 10,000 new ICE agents and officers to enforce the nation’s immigration laws. Reuters called the proposals a “non-starter” for Democrats.
Funding for the long-promised border wall is also said to be part of Trump’s proposal for legislation to replace the DACA program which impacted nearly 800,000 “Dreamers.”
“Funding for the wall is a priority for the administration. Whether it is part of DACA or there is a different pathway to get it done, it will remain a priority,” an unnamed White House source told Reuters on Sunday. He also said the president’s push will be for legal status for the “Dreamers” but not for a pathway to citizenship.
The proposal for the UAC would be to treat all unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. the same. It would require they be removed to their country of origin “so long as they are not victims of human trafficking and can be safely returned home or removed to safe third countries.”
“Anything that is done addressing the status of DACA recipients needs to include these three reforms and solve these three problems,” a senior White House official told The Washington Times. “If you don’t solve these problems then you’re not going to have a secure border, you’re not going to have a lawful immigration system and you’re not going to be able to protect American workers.”
The Times reported that the president’s new immigration proposal also includes a crackdown on sanctuary cities and an end to chain migration.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, GAB, and Facebook.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.