WaPo Rubin: And Trump didnt have the nerve to make the announcement himself

[mcar]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2017/09/05/and-trump-didnt-have-the-nerve-to-make-the-announcement-himself/?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.8c1dd940fb90

President Trump never manages to take responsibility for any political failure or controversy. We saw this vividly in his handling of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. He could not even manage on an issue of such grave importance to deliver the message personally. Instead, he sent out longtime anti-immigrant advocate Attorney General Jeff Sessions (never has there been a harsh measure limiting immigration, nor any border extravagance he did not support) to deliver the news. He declared that the program would be “rescinded.” He blithely declared, “We cannot admit everyone who would like to come here.” But DACA recipients are already here and were brought here as children. The action is so indefensible that Session had to resort to platitudes from the anti-immigrant handbook. One wonders how his speech writer could have penned such a line as “there is nothing compassionate about the failure to enforce immigration laws.” That is rich for someone who is forcing a gratuitously cruel action. Invoking the fear of criminality, Sessions of course ignored that DACA recipients have already been screened for criminal activity. They are among the safest immigrants we have...

Trump hid behind a tweet telling Congress to fix DACA. He declared, “Congress, get ready to do your job – DACA!” He claims to “love dreamers.” That’s entirely disingenuous. There was no need to pull the trigger on DACA. No lawsuit compels it; the aggressive conservative attorneys general haven’t even filed their threatened lawsuit, which could take years to reach a final decision. It is Trump who is setting in motion a disruptive and fear-inducing measure that affects 800,000 or so young people brought here as children. It is Trump who could, but has not, presented actual legislation to Congress. It is Trump who could insist, but has not, that DACA legislation be included in the debt-ceiling measure, the Harvey relief funding bill, the budget or other must-pass legislation.

The false emergency in the form of a faux constitutional deadline that Trump and Sessions hide behind is belied by the conditions they place upon DACA’s repeal. Trump will allow pending applications filed before today to be processed. How is that possible if the measure is unconstitutional? Trump will also reportedly allow those with permits that will expire before March 5, 2018, to renew their permit for two years. How is that possible if the measure is unconstitutional? In trying to soften the blow of a heartless policy, the Trump administration reveals that it is making up constitutional rules as it goes along.