Trump Speech: Offers compromise on border wall and DACA, Dems reject

WILLIAM A. JACOBSON JAN 19, 2019 3:35 PM

At 4 p.m. Eastern, Trump will deliver what the White House is calling a major speech on the border crisis and the partial government shutdown.

Various news organizations are reporting that in the speech Trump will offer an extension of DACA in exchange for border wall funding.

Axios reports:

President Trump plans to use remarks from the Diplomatic Reception Room on Saturday afternoon to propose a notable immigration compromise, according to sources familiar with the speech.

Details: The offer is expected to include Trump’s $5.7 billion demand for wall money in exchange for the BRIDGE Act — which would extend protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) — and also legislation to extend the legal status of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, according to a source with direct knowledge.

• Jared Kushner and Mike Pence have led the crafting of this deal and the negotiations with members, according to White House officials. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters he had proposed the idea of a DACA-TPS swap to Trump in December, and that the president called it “interesting.”

This is a proposal similar to proposals Trump circulated early on in his presidency, and Democrats rejected unless it involved citizenship for DACA recipients. That is a non-starter for Trump’s base, since it amounts to a full-blown amnesty.

Anyway, Democrats have already rejected the proposal, even though it hasn’t formally been made yet. Pelosi issued a statement minutes before the speech:

“Unfortunately, initial reports make clear that his proposal is a compilation of several previously rejected initiatives, each of which is unacceptable and in total, do not represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to people’s lives.”

Since the offer as reported is DOA, why is Trump bothering? Perhaps it’s to set the stage for an emergency declaration to fund the wall, demonstrating that he tried all alternatives prior to doing so.

Stay tuned, maybe Trump will surprise everyone with the speech:

UPDATES:

No surprises. Scaled-down border steel-barriers and funding for other border security, 3 year extension of permission for DACA recipients to stay in U.S. McConnell will bring Trump’s proposal to a vote in the Senate this week.

It’s DOA, but the question is whether it leads to Trump capitulation on amnesty, or just a step towards unilateral building of the wall.

Let’s say there is “mixed” reaction among Trump supporters:

Will post transcript when available.

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