Donald Trump Urged to Accept Democrats’ Immigration Deal by Koch Network
Donald Trump continues his fight against an immigration deal, leading to several groups urging the president to soften his stance. Politico reports that the Koch network, a group of three organizations funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, is urging the president to accept an offer made by Democrats over the weekend.
The offer would supply $25 billion for security and a border wall.
Republicans would have to allow 1.8 million young immigrants a pathway for citizenship. White House officials declined the weekend offer, instead negotiating for a 2.5-year extension that allows the young immigrants, called “Dreamers” to remain in the country.
Koch’s network claims that a deal that allows Dreamers to remain in the country and offers funding for the border wall is a “must-accept” deal.
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Democrats and Republicans have been unable to agree on a deal that solves both the Dreamer and border wall problem. Congress will have to return to the table to try and come to a resolution on Dreamers in the near future.
Democrats have refused to offer funding for Trump’s wall in exchange for a temporary extension for Dreamers.
Lawmakers now claim that a deal for DACA recipients is not likely to be included in the spending bill.
The Supreme Court spent Monday morning taking up a new dispute for detention immigrants. The Court will also hear an appeal from Trump’s administration. Federal law dictates that immigrants that have been convicted of certain crimes face mandatory detention while the deportation process is ongoing.
Detention can be indefinite, with immigrants being held without bond even after their sentences have been completed.
“Polls show that 85% of Americans agree that immigration reform is necessary. Private citizens, business owners, politicians, and immigrants support making changes that would create pathways to citizenship and permanently resolve the issues surrounding children who entered the United States illegally,” writes immigration lawyer Ronald Shapiro.
The detention of immigrants has been an ongoing battle, with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 2016 ruling that if convicted immigrants aren’t detained immediately after their sentences, they cannot be placed in indefinite detention.
The Court decided that if immigrants were detained after their sentence, sometimes years later, they would be able to seek bond hearings. These hearings allow the immigrants to argue their case on why they should be released.
The Trump Administration has toughened its stance against immigrants with an effort to reverse these protections. Lawmakers claim that the government is locked in legal battles with cities and states that offer protection for illegal immigrants.
The latest hearing centers on two legal U.S. residents involved in separate lawsuits. One resident was convicted of marijuana possession and another of manufacturing a controlled substance. The argument surrounds the wording of the law, which claims immigrants can be detained “when the alien is released” from detention.
The groups fighting on behalf of the two cases claim that the wording is such that the immigrants must be detained at the time of their release. The case will not come to a close until next term, which extends from October 2018 to June 2019.
Author: Jacob Maslow
TIME Magazine covers features Illegal Immigration Photo/TIME
