Marc Short on DACA Recipients: ‘We Don’t Want To Send Them Away’

WALLACE: You know, let’s drill down on immigration. It’s actually the first question I was going to ask you about. Let’s put up the president’s framework that was announced this week. A path to citizenship as you said for 1.8 million people eligible for Dreamer status, $25 billion for a wall, limiting chain migration to nuclear families, in other words Dreamers can’t sponsor their parents, and an end to the visa lottery.

The blowback was fierce from both sides.

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REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALI., HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: That plan is a campaign to make America white again.

ANN COULTER, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: You may be able to roll over the never Trumpers, but if you continue down this line, former Trumper is going to be a much more difficult category for him.

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WALLACE: I mean, and you’ve got to admit it, it wasn’t just backlash from Democrats. There was also backlash from conservative hardliners. What makes you think you can get a deal through Congress on all of this? It’s a big ambitious plan, before the DACA deadline expires in March, or do you think because the court has blocked the rescission of DACA, that you have more time than just March?

SHORT: Well, Chris, I’ve heard a lot of outrage over former Speaker Pelosi’s comments when she makes racist allegation like that. I’ve heard a lot of members even in moderate Democrats say that that was over the top.

The reality is what the president has done is he’s met with dozens — hosted dozens of meetings at the White House, some with Republicans, some Democrats, some bipartisan. Some just House, some just Senate, some bicameral. A lot of rational compromise plan that I think is something Democrats ask for.

We started by saying we want to protect the 690,000 people who have permits under DACA, meaning people age 16 to 36, who have work permits who are in this country, producing, contributing to our economy. We, of course, want to protect them. We don’t want to send them away.

But Democrats said that population should be larger. We should consider those who are eligible but were afraid to apply. We should also go back to 2012, which is when Obama put in place his unconstitutional order.

The president did all of those things because he saying it’s time that we fix the other issues too. Americans want to keep our border secure, end chain migration and the visa lottery program.

WALLACE: Do you think you can get a deal by March or do you think because of the court action that you have actually more time than March 5th?

SHORT: Chris, we’re anxious to get a deal. We’ve been trying to get a deal. I think that question really belongs to the Democrats in Congress. We believe that right now, you’re right, the courts have said that the March 5th is not there, but if another court overrules, they are not going to have the six-month grace period that this president offered Congress to fix it. If the courts overrule, that program will end immediately.