September 5, 2017

Trump Administration to Dreamers: Prepare to Self-Deport

Trump administration talking points tell a different story from the president’s public remarks.

Protesters march to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Phoenix in support of Dreamers.Matt York/AP

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

After moving to end protections from deportation for nearly 800,000 undocumented youths known as Dreamers, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he loves the young immigrants affected by his decision. “I have a great heart for the folks we are talking about,” Trump said, adding, “Hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly.”

But talking points put out by the administration tell a different story. Instead of instructing recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections to wait while Congress works out a legislative solution that gives them legal status, the talking points say Dreamers should prepare to leave to the country. The document states, “The Department of Homeland Security urges DACA recipients to use the time remaining on their work authorizations to prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States—including proactively seeking travel documentation—or to apply for other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible.” Multiple sources have attributed the document to the White House. It was sent to congressional Republicans, according to a source on Capitol Hill.

Leading immigration advocates said the White House is urging Dreamers to self-deport. Tom Jawetz, the vice president for immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, wrote on Twitter:

Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, a pro-immigrant advocacy group, wrote:

Earlier on Tuesday, the New York Times reported that, as late as one hour before Trump’s decision was announced, senior administration officials worried that the president did not understand the consequences of ending DACA and that if he learned about them, he would change his mind. 

The administration talking points also suggest that Trump has a more optimistic view than some members of his administration of what ending DACA means. If Congress does not pass a bill to protect Dreamers by the March 5 deadline set by the administration, they could become subject to possible detention and deportation.

There is still the possibility that Trump will keep DACA after the program ends. A senior White House adviser told Politico he does not expect Trump to end DACA if Congress fails to pass a bill.

But at protests across the nation today, Dreamers and their allies made clear they’re not willing to see if Trump is bluffing. Real security, Jawetz and others have said, will come only if Congress passes legislation to protect Dreamers from deportation, such as the long-stalled DREAM Act. “We don’t need the Trump administration to manufacture new crises designed to terrorize immigrant communities,” Jawetz said on a call with reporters. “Congress must act now to take up a clean Dream Act and limit the harm that has already been done as a result of this announcement.”

Read the full memo below. 

Trump Administration DACA Talking Points by Noah Lanard on Scribd

Below is a second messaging document that a source on Capitol Hill says was sent to congressional Republicans. 

Trump Administration Top Five DACA Messages by Noah Lanard on Scribd

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate