WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is known for his harsh rhetoric on immigration.
But on Thursday, he spoke in unusually personal terms as he answered a question at a White House press conference about hundreds of thousands of young immigrants whose fate rests in his hands.
“We’re going to show great heart. DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me, I will tell you. To me, it’s one of the most difficult subjects I have,” said the president in a rare admission of uncertainly. “Because you have these incredible kids, in many cases,” he said.
Trump was referring to his predecessor’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows young people who were brought into the country illegally as children to stay and obtain work permits. The program has protected about 750,000 immigrants since its inception in 2012.
Trump had promised during his campaign to “immediately terminate” what he’d deemed “President Obama’s two illegal executive amnesties.” But he has yet to move forward on the issue, despite pressure from immigration hard-liners, including Rep. Steve King of Iowa.