President-elect Donald Trump suggested last week he would work with Democrats to protect Dreamers from deportation, his incoming team is seemingly disagreeing, as his top allies suggest the border, not DACA, will be the top priority in handling the issue of immigration.
Since he declared victory right after Election Day in November, Trump has made it clear one of his top priorities would be carrying out the mass deportation operation in American history. For this to happen, he has appointed staunch allies, ones who have not been shy to express their opposition to immigration, such as Stephen Miller and Tom Homan.
"They seem to have a plan in place for when they assume office, and there's every expectation they are going to carry it out," said Ira Mehlman, media director with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that advocates for stricter immigration laws.
"They have some experience. They have four years under their belt," Mehlman added. "And they've put in place people like Tom Homan who really understand the issue and how to deal with it. This term he begins with an American public that understands what the consequences of having an open border are."
But despite their confidence, there seems to be a disconnect on what the priorities for the incoming administration will be.
Last week, Trump made an appearance at NBC's "Meet the Press," where he expressed desire to protect Dreamers, people who were illegally brought into the U.S. as children and grew up in the country in a legal limbo, while vowing to start deporting migrants who have committed crimes as part of the mass deportation efforts.
His allies however, are not showing the same intentions for Dreamers. Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff, and Homan, his border czar, have maintained a frequent presence on cable television in recent days to outline their vision for how the incoming administration will enact a sweeping crackdown on immigration.
Miller, in an interview with Fox News, predicted Republicans in Congress could get a budget reconciliation bill to Trump's desk by the end of January or early February. The reconciliation package, which would not require Democratic support, would include increases in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as it carries out mass deportations, more money for barriers and technology at the border and an increase in the number of border agents, according to The Hill.
Additionally, Trump is expected to sign several executive orders on his first day in office. One, Miller said, would effectively "seal the border."
Likewise, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), another staunch Trump ally who is slated to lead the Senate Budget Committee beginning in January, said his top priority would be "to secure a broken border" through the reconciliation process.
"The bill will be transformational, it will be paid for, and it will go first," Graham posted on the social media platform X.
Some GOP leaders want to use the fast-track reconciliation process to pass funding for border security and migrant deportations on party lines. But as Trump suggests expanding their immigration crackdown efforts to end longtime practices and laws, such as birthright citizenship, border hawks are not in a hurry to make a deal with Democrats or focus on other issues.
"Right now we're focused on delivering everything we campaigned on, which is securing the border, stopping the flow and removing the disaster of having so many criminals and such a drain on our social welfare state," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). "Then we can figure out anything else going forward."
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