Trump’s immigration plans for Dreamers and citizenship rights are full of contradictions

During Donald Trump’s latest appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” the president-elect assured host Kristen Welker that he was willing to work with congressional Democrats to protect dreamers — a label used to describe undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children.

When Welker specifically asked, “You want them to be able to stay, is that what you’re saying?” » Trump replied: “Yes. I want to be able to find a solution.

Of course, shortly after taking office in 2017, the Republican said Dreamers should “rest easy” on his immigration policies. Soon after, he betrayed them, canceled the program and its protections for young immigrants, and attempted to use them as political pawns. For those inclined to take his latest comments at face value, I advise caution: Trump has not really gained any credibility on the subject.

Still, a casual observer might have seen this portion of the interview and wondered whether the president-elect is showing some moderation on issues related to immigration and borders. But the rest of the interview proves the opposite. NBC News reported:

President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that “you have no choice” but to deport everyone who is in the United States illegally, including including possibly deporting U.S. citizens who are family members of those deported. Trump also said he would take steps to end the right to citizenship — long enshrined in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment — which would disenfranchise people born in the country to undocumented parents.

From the outset, the glaring contradiction is important: The president-elect can support making a deal to help Dreamers stay in the United States, or he can insist that U.S. officials “have no other choice” than to expel anyone on American soil. illegally. But he can’t do both.

But even more important is the profound radicalism of the Republican vision: Trump envisions a policy in which American citizens are expelled from the country.

“Let me ask you about another group of people, the approximately 4 million American families who have mixed immigration status. So I’m talking about parents who might be here illegally,” Welker said, “but the kids are here legally.”

“I don’t want to break up families,” Trump responded. “So the only way to not break up the family is to keep them together and send them all away.”

As for the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to those born in the United States, the president-elect confirmed during the on-air interview that he intends to end the right to birth on the first day of his second term. Asked whether constitutional law could be circumvented through executive action, Trump seemed determined.

“(We) have to end it,” he added, referring to the protections of the 14th Amendment. “We’re the only country that has it, you know.”

As is often the case, Trump was referring to a made-up detail — more than 30 countries in the world have birthright citizenship — because he often struggles with the political details surrounding his own plans.

However, if the Republican takes this vision seriously, the battles – legislative, legal and political – promise to be brutal. Watch this space.