President Donald Trump, claiming nothing was lost or won by the Supreme Court’s ruling on his efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, says he he will submit “enhanced papers” to try again.
The high court on Thursday ruled that Trump improperly ended DACA in 2017. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the four liberal justices in the 5-4 majority, while the conservative justices called DACA illegal.
Trump’s comments came in a pair of Friday morning tweets, where he once again blasted “do nothing Democrats.”
He wrote: “The Supreme Court asked us to resubmit on DACA, nothing was lost or won. They ‘punted’, much like in a football game (where hopefully they would stand for our great American Flag). We will be submitting enhanced papers shortly in order to properly fulfil the Supreme Court’s ruling & request of yesterday.
“I have wanted to take care of DACA recipients better than the Do Nothing Democrats, but for two years they refused to negotiate," he continued. "They have abandoned DACA. Based on the decision the Dems can’t make DACA citizens. They gained nothing!”
Trump did not detail what he meant by “enhanced papers.”
On Thursday he ripped the high court for “horrible and politically charged decisions.”
His comments came after the court rejected his effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants covered by DACA.
Politico noted Trump can either side with the prevailing opinion among Republicans – and Americans – to protect those in DACA. But it pointed out he could appeal to his base and use the court’s decision to take another shot at ending measure that have allowed the young immigrants to work and live in the country.”
Trump could still take away the ability for hundreds of thousands of them to live and work legally in the United States. With no legislative answer in sight, that means the uncertainty of the last eight years isn't over for many who know of nowhere else as home.
Activists are vowing to keep fighting for a long-term solution for 650,000 immigrants who were brought to the country as children. They face a White House that's prioritized immigration restrictions and a divided Congress that's unlikely to pass legislation giving them a path to citizenship anytime soon.
Ken Cuccinelli, acting head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said Friday that the administration was starting over. “We’re going to move as quickly as we can to put options in front of the president," but those are executive branch options, he told “Fox & Friends.”
“That still leaves open the appropriate solution which the Supreme Court mentioned and that is that Congress step up to the plate,” he said.
Cuccinelli said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., made some positive comments in that direction on on Thursday so the administration thinks it's possible for a constructive conversation with Congress.
Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, appeared satisfied to let the court’s decision stand as the law of the land for now.
While Republicans protested that now, if ever, was the time for Congress to clarify the immigration system, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear that Democrats were done with their legislation before the summer break and had little interest in meeting GOP demands to fund Trump’s long-promised border wall as part of any comprehensive immigration overhaul.
“There isn’t anybody in the immigration community that wants us to trade a wall for immigration,” she said.
Pelosi was reminded that Trump has said he wants immigration reform. “We’ll see,” she said, noting how few days remain on the legislative calendar. “I don’t know what the president meant — maybe he doesn’t either.”
Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden said that if elected, he would send lawmakers proposed legislation on his first day in office to make DACA protections permanent.
The program grew out of an impasse over a comprehensive immigration bill between Congress and the Obama administration in 2012. Under intense pressure from young activists, President Barack Obama decided to formally protect people from deportation and allow them to work legally in the U.S.
This report contains material from The Associated Press.