Trump leaving Obama’s executive amnesty in place would be a colossal betrayal (Horowitz)

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Trump leaving Obama’s executive amnesty in place would be a colossal betrayal
 
By: Daniel Horowitz | January 23, 2017

Our message to the world will be this. You cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country. […]

The truth is, the central issue is not the needs of the 11 million illegal immigrants … Anyone who tells you that the core issue is the needs of those living here illegally has simply spent too much time in Washington … There is only one core issue in the immigration debate, and that issue is the well-being of the American people.

 ~Donald Trump, 8/31/16

The two biggest rallying cries against Obama’s imperial presidency in recent years have been: “repeal Obamacare” and “repeal Obama’s illegal executive amnesty.” Conservatives swore to ourselves that if we ever got back into the White House those two odious policies were as good as dead. As we’ve chronicled in this column, repeal of Obamacare is already on the ropes. If Obama’s amnesty is not repealed administratively in short order, it will represent a colossal betrayal of Trump’s basic campaign promise and set a terrible precedent for an imperial presidency.

During the incipient days of this administration Trump’s Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has indicated that he does not want to repeal Obama’s DACA amnesty:

President Trump has no immediate plans to use his executive powers to undo the Obama administration’s order that protects some young illegal immigrants known as “dreamers,” White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus made clear Sunday, in previewing the new administration’s first full week.

“I think we’re going to work with the House and Senate leadership, as well as to get a long-term solution on that issue,” Priebus told “Fox News Sunday.” “I'm not going to make any commitments to you, but … I'm obviously foreshadowed there a little bit.”

Furthermore, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer indicated that this won’t be a priority:
 
This position is very problematic for several reasons:

1. Welfare for Illegals
 
Trump officials, and perhaps the president himself, don’t seem to understand what DACA is (much like some don’t understand what Obamacare actually is), which is why they are confused about repealing it. Obama’s executive amnesty was not merely the suspension of deportations of certain classes of illegal aliens. It offered them benefits and affirmative legal status, with Social Security cards, work permits, and thousands of dollars in refundable tax credit welfare payments. In fact, well over 500,000 illegals had received Social Security cards by 2014. According to a Congressional Research Service memo, illegal families could receive as much as $35,000 in retroactive EITC benefits the first year after being approved for Obama’s executive amnesty. This was all done without an act of Congress. Thus, to say we are not going to focus on deporting DACA recipients is a non-sequitur to the main problem of granting them affirmative benefits. Even if we don’t deport large numbers of them, we should certainly not give them American benefits.

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-https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2017/01/trump-leaving-obamas-executive-amnesty-in-place-would-be-a-colossal-betrayal#sthash.32gTIf1z.dpuf

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Trump Retreats from Immigration Hard Line, Continues Obama’s Executive Amnesty

Posted at 6:28 pm on January 23, 2017 by Caleb Howe

How many times have you heard the immigration hawks refer to Barack Obama’s “Executive Amnesty” with every ounce of derision that can possibly be mustered? Well that derision is going to have to find a new home, because President Trump has not only backed off of taking early action on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) to address those individuals who are already here and protected under the Obama administration policy, he is allowing new issuances to continue.

With no new Trump executive order on the program, the immigration focused base of voters who put him in office may feel as if they were betrayed by this shift, although they should have seen it coming as he’s been signaling it for months. What exactly happened? Well aside from not issuing an immediate executive order halting the amnesty per his many, many, many, many, many times repeated campaign promise to do that, Press Secretary Sean Spicer made a statement at today’s first real daily White House press briefing:

“First and foremost, the president’s been very, very clear that we need to direct agencies to focus on those who are in this country illegally and have a record – a criminal record or oppose a threat to the American people. That’s where the priorities are going to be and then we’re going to continue to work through the entire number of folks that are here illegally. But right now the clear focus is on that.”

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http://www.redstate.com/absentee/2017/01/23/trump-retreats-immigration-hard-line-continues-obamas-executive-amnesty/

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From what I'm reading, this is something I can live with. It's not an immediate repeal, but instead a legislative repeal and solution - which can't be undone by future EOs.