President Trump said that if Congress cannot legalize the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program within six months, he will take matters into his own hands.
“Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!” Trump tweeted Tuesday night.
Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2017
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday that DACA would end under the Trump administration within six months, providing Congress time to act with some sort of legislation. He said the move would end the “lawlessness” that former President Barack Obama created with his unilateral executive action.
Obama established DACA in 2012 through an executive order, and it applies to approximately 800,000 illegal immigrants ages 15-36.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump would like to pass a more comprehensive immigration bill that addresses immigration issues beyond DACA.
“We can’t just have one tweak to the immigration system,” Sanders told reporters at the White House Tuesday afternoon.
“We want responsible immigration reform, and that would be part of that package and part of that process,” she added.
