President Trump on Sunday urged Republican lawmakers to use the “nuclear option” to pass tough immigration laws and suggested the DACA debate is over.
“Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws,” tweeted Trump. “Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!”
Trump also threatened to stop NAFTA if Mexico doesn’t start helping us out on border security. “Mexico is doing very little…at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the US,” wrote Trump. “They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!”
Minutes before walking into an Easter service in Palm Beach on Sunday, Trump told reporters that people are coming into the US specifically to take advantage of DACA. “A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA,” said Trump. “They had a great chance, the Democrats blew it. They had a great, great chance.”
In Trump’s opinion, Democrats missed their chance last month when they voted to pass an omnibus spending package that did not include protections for Dreamers. Trump had offered to support legislation that would legalize 800,000 illegal immigrants in exchange for $25 billion in border wall funding, but lawmakers on both sides turned him down.
Trump’s renewed push for lawmakers to use the “nuclear option” refers to a parliamentary procedure by which Senate Republicans could pass a bill with a majority vote (instead of 60 votes). GOP lawmakers in the past have resisted Trump’s demands to use the nuclear option.
Editor’s note: This shows the cynicism of the Democratic Party, abandoning a constituency that they have claimed for many years. If the Republicans are smart they will make this a major campaign issue.