Administration Hints That Trump Would Work With Dems on DACA

When the White House first announced its intent to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program last week, many speculated that President Donald Trump was planning to use the issue as part of a grand bargain to win additional funding for immigration enforcement and a border wall.

But since then, from the president on down, the administration has repeatedly undercut its own bargaining position to strike such a deal. Trump has repeatedly assured DACA recipients that he would take “no action” against them in 2017, and that he would “revisit this issue” if Congress failed to pass legislation protecting their legal status.

Now, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short has put another nail in the coffin of “comprehensive immigration reform” by admitting the White House is not committed to holding out for concessions on border security before Congress reauthorizes DACA.

“We’re interested in getting border security and the president has made the commitment to the American people that a barrier is important to that security,” Short told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast. “Whether or not that is part of a DACA equation, or ... another legislative vehicle, I don’t want to bind us into a construct that would make the conclusion on DACA impossible.”

Short insisted that Trump was “not backing off a border wall” and “committed to sticking by the commitment that a physical structure is needed.” But by saying the White House would wait on these commitments to ensure the prompt reinstatement of DACA, Short assured congressional Democrats that their current plan of action—refusing all compromises and insisting on a standalone DACA vote—could not only stymie Republicans, but even win White House support.