Contradictory and confusing: what's wrong with Trump's promised changes in US immigration policy

US President Donald Trump has promised changes in immigration policy. However, Trump's comments on this matter were contradictory and confusing. AP.

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Trump spoke out about the immigration changes after the Supreme Court rejected his efforts to end the DACA program, which protects young immigrants (“Dreamers”) brought to the United States as children.

What Trump said

The latest confusion over Trump's words began with an interview with Telemundo in early July, in which the president said he would soon "sign an immigration bill" - "a very good merit-based bill" - and that "one of the aspects of it would be DACA."

“We are going to create a path to citizenship,” he added.

The problem is this: there is no bill to sign, and there was not the slightest desire in Congress to deal with this controversial issue four months before the election and in the middle of the pandemic.

In another interview, Trump said he would instead sign a “big executive decree” that would include the DACA.

“We introduced it and we're probably going to eliminate it. We're working through the legal complexities right now, but I'm going to sign a very important immigration bill into law as an executive order,” he said. But the problem is that this program cannot be changed by executive order; Congress is needed.

White House spokesman Judd Deere quickly tried to move away from vague comments, saying Trump "is working on an executive order to create a merit-based immigration system to further protect American workers." Trump said long ago that he was willing to work with Congress on an agreed legislative decision on DACA, which could include citizenship but not amnesty.

Trump probably did not pay attention to this statement or did not understand what his mistake was, as he continued to repeat his own.

"We're going to take care of DACA because in the not too distant future, pretty soon, I'm going to be signing a new immigration measure - a very, very big merit-based immigration measure, which I will be able to do based on the DACA decision," he said on 14 July, only adding to the confusion.

White House spokeswoman Kaley Makinani said Trump is “working on an executive order to create a merit-based immigration system” and “has long said he will seek a legislative decision on the DACA, and he will work with Congress on that legislative decision.”

On the subject: WP: how the Trump administration turns legal immigrants into illegal

What's at stake

Currently, about 650 people are registered with DACA, who will lose their protection against deportation and the ability to legally work in the country if Trump closes the program again. The program has not accepted any new applications since 000, and the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank, estimates that an additional 2017 people will be age-appropriate for the program if reinstated.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services did not appear to accept new applications, although some immigration lawyers have argued that the Supreme Court ruling must require the program to return to its original form. The federal court has reinstated the program in its original form, but it is unclear whether USCIS will accept new applications.

The Immigration and Customs Agency, which carries out the deportation, said it plans to expel DACA addressees who have dealt with immigration courts from the country if the program is canceled. But it is not clear when and how they will do this, given the agency's limited resources.

What else may include a decree

In addition to his complaints about illegal immigration, Trump has long spoken out against the country's legal immigration system, arguing that it should prioritize highly skilled immigrants for their “merit” over those with family ties. Although he has spent years trying to overhaul the immigration system, the coronavirus pandemic has allowed him to dramatically intensify those efforts, including suspending the issuance of green cards to many people living outside the country, including relatives of permanent residents as well as winners of the green card lottery.

Any new restrictions may be challenged in court.

On the subject: 'It's getting worse': how the COVID-19 pandemic affected immigration in the United States

What is known about the legislation

Congress got stuck with Trump in 2018 over the resumption of the DACA program after Democrats and some Republicans refused to act due to the president's demands to add restrictions on legal immigration. With immigration a hot issue on both sides, the chances of a revolutionary deal in the months leading up to the November elections seem unlikely at best.

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