Schumer: Dems will fight Trump’s ‘terribly wrong’ DACA order

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is pledging that Democrats will fight the Trump administration’s decision to phase out an Obama-era program allowing some undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children to remain legally.

“The human and economic toll of rescinding DACA will be far reaching and Democrats will do everything we can to prevent President Trump’s terribly wrong order from becoming reality,” Schumer said in a statement.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced earlier Tuesday that the administration would sunset the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months. The move gives Congress, which already has a packed schedule, another deadline to tackle.

{mosads}Schumer didn’t offer any details in his statement on how Democrats would try to push back against the administration’s decision, which he called “heartless.” 

“We often forget how vital these hardworking people and their contributions are to our economy and to tens of thousands of businesses who will be hurt if the administration’s order stands,” the Senate’s top Democrat said on Tuesday.

Some Republicans are signaling they want to wrap protections for current DACA recipients into a larger deal that could include curbs on legal immigration or a boost in border security funding.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called the looming DACA fight “one of many immigration issues, such as border security and interior enforcement, which Congress has failed to adequately address.” 

“It is my hope that the House and Senate, with the president’s leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country,” he said in a statement.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also floated a deal that would pair action on DACA with his bill with Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), which would scale back the amount of legal immigration into the country.