David MacNeil, a businessman from the Chicago area who has contributed more than $1 million to President Trump’s inaugural committee, is warning that he will withhold financial support from GOP candidates unless they hash out a solution regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“I’m saying this as a political donor who’s donated seven figures in the last couple of years: I will not donate any more money to anyone who doesn’t support DACA, period,” MacNeil said, according to Politico. “I’m putting my money where my mouth is.”
MacNeil, U.S. citizen who is originally from Canada, said he especially cares about the issue because a top employee at his WeatherTech automotive company could be deported if a solution for DACA recipients isn’t reached.
“She is a critically important employee and it would be a disaster if I were not able to legally employ her,” MacNeil said. “They should not be playing political football, political blackmail with people’s lives. If you think about how people feel: they wake up at 3 in the morning, wondering: am I going to be deported?”
The report comes after Trump said in an interview that aired Thursday with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that he wants a “full package” immigration deal from Congress — one that includes a permanent solution for those participating in the DACA program.
The Trump administration announced last year that DACA would end and that it was up to Congress to legislate a new program by March 5.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle attempted to pass an immigration deal earlier this year prior to the March deadline, but they could not reach a solution. Courts intervened and temporarily halted the administration’s efforts to roll back DACA.
