Hispanic CEO resigns from Trump council, rips Dreamer decision

The president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce resigned Tuesday from President Trump’s National Diversity Coalition after the administration said it would end an Obama-era program allowing young people brought into the country illegally as children to stay and work here without fear of deportation.

In a blistering statement, Javier Palomarez ripped Trump’s “inhumane and economically harmful” decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protects about 800,000 young people, often referred to as “Dreamers,” from deportation.

{mosads}”This disgraceful action goes against not only the values of this country, but also against the promise of this administration to focus homeland security resources toward individuals who have committed violent crimes and pose a threat to communities across the country,” Palomarez said. 

“Let’s lay the truth bare: President Trump has knowingly deceived the American people over the past seven months about his intentions to protect the innocent young men and women of the DACA program.”

Palomarez pointed to Trump’s past remarks, in which he told DACA recipients to “rest easy” because the U.S. is “not after the Dreamers, we are after criminals.”

The president publicly wrestled with the difficulty of the decision. Rescinding DACA fulfills his campaign pledge to prioritize American workers and to crack down on illegal immigration, but Trump has said “we love the Dreamers” and that he was eager to treat them with “heart.”

Trump said Tuesday that deporting those protected under DACA would not be an enforcement priority, and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed optimism that Congress would use the six-month phase-out window to find a legislative solution that might allow “those who have done nothing wrong” to continue to “contribute as a valued part of this great country.”

But the blowback from Democrats and immigration activists has been stiff.

“The president misled our country by fabricating a position and making a promise, only to turn around and do the complete opposite,” Palomarez said. “The administration’s pro-growth agenda has sadly fallen to irrelevancy with the president’s lack of leadership, constant distractions and inability to unite the country.”

“I will never cease advocating for pro-growth policies to benefit the 4.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses across the country with our congress and administration, but have decided to officially resign from the President’s National Diversity Coalition effective immediately,” he continued. “It is now up to Congress to unite and pass meaningful legislation that will protect Dreamers.”