Human rights groups on Sunday said that President Donald Trump affirmed his "anti-immigrant agenda" when he tweeted that there would be no legislative deal to help a group of immigrants known as Dreamers, said that a border wall is urgently needed, and implied that Mexico and Democrats are allowing "caravans" of undocumented people to arrive in the United States.
Trump sent out the series of tweets roughly an hour and a half after tweeting "Happy Easter." In one, he also calls on Senate Republicans to take the "nuclear option," in other words, change Senate rules to allow legislation to move forward with a simple majority rather than 60 votes, thus avoiding Democratic opposition.
Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. “Caravans” coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018
Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018
These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018
Trump repeated the message to reporters before attending a church service in Palm Beach, a several-minute drive from his Mar-a-Lago resort where he's spending another weekend. "A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA and we are going to have to really see," he said. "They had a great chance. The Democrats blew it."
Democrats rejected the accusation. "Time and time again," said Drew Hamill, spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, "the President has walked away from bipartisan proposals that are exactly what he asked for." Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) weighed in on the tweetstorm as well, responding that Trump was "never doing a DACA deal. Your actions gave you away: cancelling DACA with no plan, making racist comments about Black/Brown immigrants, ejecting several by bipartisan deals. You didn't fool anybody."
.@realDonaldTrump ‘NO MORE DACA DEAL’?!! You were never doing a DACA deal. Your actions gave you away: cancelling DACA with no plan, making racist comments about Black/Brown immigrants, ejecting several by bipartisan deals. You didn’t fool anybody. https://t.co/65zya1vAvS
— Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) April 1, 2018
According to advocacy group Mi Familia Vota, the president's tweets reveal that "Trump clearly has no idea how DACA works—there are tight requirements (including age caps & limitations on arrival dates), making most undocumented immigrants ineligible for DACA. There is no excuse for a president spreading lies to fan anti-immigrant sentiments."
Trump clearly has no idea how DACA works - there are tight requirements (including age caps & limitations on arrival dates), making most undocumented #immigrants ineligible for DACA. There is no excuse for a president spreading lies to fan anti-immigrant sentiments. #DreamActNow pic.twitter.com/lIDPyoIIAX
— #DreamActNow (@MiFamiliaVota) April 1, 2018
Other right groups had similar responses.
The ACLU, for one, said the tweets were "Yet another reminder @realDonaldTrump ran on an anti-immigrant agenda and has worked to create a machine of human misery for immigrant communities since taking office."
Yet another reminder @realDonaldTrump ran on an anti-immigrant agenda and has worked to create a machine of human misery for immigrant communities since taking office. pic.twitter.com/jh45vTKU6t
— ACLU (@ACLU) April 1, 2018
United We Dream added: "This just reaffirms what we have known all along: Trump never wanted to protect immigrant youth—he only wanted to further his hateful anti-immigrant agenda."
"Continue fighting locally!" the group added. "We are #HereToFight!"
This just reaffirms what we have known all along: Trump never wanted to protect immigrant youth - he only wanted to further his hateful anti-immigrant agenda.
Continue fighting locally! We are #HereToFight! https://t.co/vsHMsZZvbW
— United We Dream ( 888-872-5316 #DreamActNow) (@UNITEDWEDREAM) April 1, 2018
