Obama, Who Once Called DACA a ‘Temporary Stopgap Measure,’ Now Calls It America’s Defining Feature

Former President Obama once again broke with precedent to attack his successor, ridiculing the Trump Administration for ending Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (or DACA), the executive order he signed asking prosecutors to avoid deporting illegal immigrants who arrived in America in their youth. 

Obama said ending DACA strikes at the very "spirit" of America. 

"It is precisely because this action is contrary to our spirit, and to common sense, that business leaders, faith leaders, economists, and Americans of all political stripes called on the administration not to do what it did today," Obama wrote in a message posted to Facebook. 

Obama leveled this charge despite having conceded himself upon enacting DACA that the executive order was "a temporary stopgap measure" that would eventually need to be replaced with congressional legislation. 

This is also President Trump's message.

After Attorney General Sessions announced the administration would end DACA in six months, the White House asked Congress to address the issue of so-called DREAMers through legislation. 

"We have confidence that Congress is going to step up and do their job," the press secretary for the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Tuesday. "This is something that needs to be fixed legislatively, and we have confidence that they’re going to do that."

This echoes what Obama himself said repeatedly. 

Speaking on June 15th, 2012, at the Rose Garden, Obama stressed DACA "is not a path to citizenship. It's not a permanent fix. This is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people."

"Precisely because this is temporary, Congress needs to act," he emphasized again. 

Obama later echoed the need for legislation to address the issue. 

In November 2013, Obama delivered a speech on immigration in San Francisco, where a rowdy crowd repeatedly heckled him, demanding he legalize millions of illegal immigrants. 

"Mr. Obama," someone from the audience shouted. "My family has been separated for 19 months now ... I’ve not seen my family. Our families are separated. I need your help. There are thousands of people — “

Obama, perturbed at the disturbance, unsuccessfully attempted to quiet the hecklers.

"Do you agree?" a heckler demanded, "that we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform at the same time we — you have a power to stop deportation for all undocumented immigrants in this country?"

Obama said the Constitution prevents him from doing so.

"Actually I don't, and that's why we're here," he replied. "I respect the passion of these young people because they feel deeply about the concerns for their families. Now, what you need to know, when I’m speaking as President of the United States and I come to this community, is that if, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing laws in Congress, then I would do so." 

"But we’re also a nation of laws," he continued. "That’s part of our tradition. And so the easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws. And what I’m proposing is the harder path, which is to use our democratic processes to achieve the same goal that you want to achieve. But it won’t be as easy as just shouting. It requires us lobbying and getting it done."

Tuesday night, President Trump tweeted similar sentiments. 

"Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do)," he wrote.