Economy

President Trump: DACA dreamers should prepare for self-deportation

Published

7 years ago

September 6, 2017

The Trump administration is advising beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to “prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States,” ABC News reported Tuesday.

Talking points distributed to GOP lawmakers and obtained by ABC News say that DACA recipients should use their remaining time in the U.S. to get their affairs in order, after President Trump rescinded the program Tuesday.

“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,” the document says.

Multiple sources confirmed the authenticity of the talking points to ABC News.
Trump has been pushing members of Congress to take legislative action on DACA’s protections before the end of a six-month phase-out period for the program.
“As I’ve said before, we will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion – but through the lawful democratic process,” Trump said in a statement , adding: “It is now time for Congress to act!” Still, the president’s decision to end the program, which shields certain young undocumented immigrants from deportation, spurred widespread criticism and prompted some lawmakers to urge swift legislative action on the matter.

In a Tuesday night tweet, Trump said that if lawmakers were unable to pass a measure addressing DACA’s protections, he would revisit his decision to end the program.