{"id":13778,"date":"2017-03-01T14:23:39","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T19:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=13778"},"modified":"2018-12-28T12:58:59","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T17:58:59","slug":"its-march-and-trump-is-now-in-control-of-the-nations-immigration-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2017\/03\/01\/its-march-and-trump-is-now-in-control-of-the-nations-immigration-agenda\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s March, and Trump is Now in Control of the Nation\u2019s Immigration Agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Trump\u2019s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night demonstrated yet again that he is now in complete control of America\u2019s immigration agenda. At about the 24 minute mark<\/a>, he begins to discuss immigration. It was short, sweet and to the point. The language is being widely celebrated as a shift in tone \u2013 more conciliatory and more unifying. On immigration policy, he restated steps to date to control borders and the universal principles that will guide any true immigration reform: \u201cWhat would you say to the American family that loses their jobs, their income or their loved one because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders? Our obligation is to preserve, protect and defend the citizens of the United States,\u201d said Trump.<\/p>\n

This is a consensus statement. It continues Trump\u2019s efforts begun in his campaign to reframe how the nation sees the role of immigration and its purposes. Trump shows empathy for the victims of out of control immigration.<\/p>\n

Yet earlier in the day, Trump surrogates \u2013 even Trump himself \u2013 floated the notion<\/a> of a possible legislative \u201ccompromise\u201d that might include a large-scale legalization program<\/a>, something that the rumor mill circulated during the presidential campaign.<\/p>\n

The key word here is compromise. <\/em>The implication here is that this is a nascent legislative proposal and a challenge to the Democrats and anti-enforcement Republicans to step up and make a deal.<\/p>\n

The chattering class \u2013 while ever suspicious \u2013 is relieved to see Trump in full presidential mode. Trump, they maintain, has the root of a compromiser that can move to the center. They say this despite the fact that last night\u2019s speech contained no mention of a deal!<\/p>\n

Here is yet another example of Trump\u2019s pure genius as a showman and media manipulator. Countering the droning narrative of Trump-inspired division and polarization, the president repositioned to look like the conciliator and dealmaker. In doing so, he caught the Democrats completely off guard while winning broad public consensus that this really was an inspiring speech delivered in a presidential manner.<\/p>\n

The Democrats have taken the bait by appearing obstructionist; they stand for total opposition at all costs and are now being trapped by a master manipulator. Egged on by the legacy press, the Democrats have stood firmly against all immigration enforcement to the point of projecting an unyielding unreasonableness. Trump\u2019s proposal for an office to help American\u2019s who\u2019ve lost loved ones because the government won\u2019t control our borders was met with jeers and boos<\/a> from Democrats.<\/p>\n

Politically damaging? You bet. Big mistake. Trump is no fool and he knows how to set up the head fake. But why? What Trump\u2019s end game here?<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s goal is to demonstrate to the country that today\u2019s Democratic Party is unwilling to compromise on border and immigration controls at any level. By floating informal ideas of this kind, he can show the nation that only he can really get things done in D.C. Meantime, he continues to tighten enforcement \u2013 dangling out only an unsigned order on the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) as negotiating bait.<\/p>\n

Trump \u2013 who made a series of very specific immigration policy commitments<\/a> during the campaign in August — is also setting himself up to arbiter of what constitutes a reasonable legislative compromise as well as the primary architect of what the compromise would entail. With folks like Attorney General Jeff Sessions helping to draft core legislative proposals, it\u2019s not going to look anything like Senator Chuck Schumer\u2019s ill-fated amnesty bill (\u201cthe Gang of 8\u201d bill) that merely feigned a commitment to border enforcement and legal reforms.<\/p>\n

Trump has now taken the high political ground, armed both with control over the powerful Executive Branch enforcement apparatus and the emotionally-driven messaging that would drive true legislative immigration reform. The Democrats will soon realize that they are painted into a corner and will need to shift to stop the hemorrhaging. And Trump is providing Republicans in Congress with the language and confidence that his administration can be trusted to protect the party politically as it moves forward with his immigration agenda.<\/p>\n

Not bad. Not bad at all.