The Trump Administration’s announcement Tuesday that it was beginning a wind-down of the DACA program of deferred immigration action for people brought to the U.S. as children set off the predictably counterproductive back-and-forth debate.
These days, that seems to substitute for substantive, thoughtful discussion and weighing of pros and cons in a manner most likely to lead to actual, commonsense and equitable policies best befitting America’s legacy and promise.
Which is a sorry state of affairs, considering that many policymakers on both sides of the political chasm seem rightly conflicted over a status quo that punishes young people for actions taken by their parents in illegally bringing them into the U.S. Even President Donald Trump has cited rule of law and constitutionality in one sentence while expressing sympathy for so-called “Dreamers” in another.
Thus, there seems to be bipartisan belief that a permanent fix is needed for the problem that the Obama Administration’s DACA sought to rectify. So it should be possible for Congress to set aside partisanship long enough to come up with a legislative remedy that both parties agree is overdue. A functional government should be capable of at least that much.
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