White House advisor and the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, seemed to contradict her father on Monday when she responded to a question at Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit about the uncertain future for those losing protection under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
President Trump ended the DACA program a month ago, and thousands of young people who had been granted DACA have already lost their work permits because of his actions.
The moderator asked Ivanka, “You do have the question of the Dreamers: 800,000 young people, most of whom are under 25, most of whom are women. What role should the Dreamers be playing in the future workforce?”
Rather than at least acknowledging that her father was responsible for taking away the livelihoods and security of the Dreamers, she threw the responsibility on Congress.
“This is a very complicated issue that needs a long-term congressional fix,” she said. “I personally am of the opinion, and the president has stated, that we have to figure out a good solution that protects these innocent people, many of whom were brought into this country as children.”
Except that the president is not trying to figure out a good solution. In fact, he sent out a memo Sunday with 72 separate concessions that Congressional Democrats have to make in order to reach any deal on immigration.
“There has to be a long-term fix and it cannot be bandaged over at a presidential level through another executive order that can be rescinded through another administration,” Ivanka continued.
What she did not mention was that it was her own father who had rescinded DACA.
She then complained that America apparently accepts too few immigrants, saying “Our system is flawed, and it is not equipped to handle the challenges, and our visa program is deeply flawed. We’re not retaining the best talent for the jobs that we need and that has to fundamentally be reconsidered.”
Except, of course, the United States has been a beacon attracting the best and the brightest from abroad for more than 200 years because of our more open immigration system and multicultural society. Her father’s white nationalist campaign and presidency are what are scaring off the best talent.
