Trump: ‘2 weeks and big Deportation begins!’
President Donald Trump on Sunday morning stood firm on his decision to delay the deportations of thousands of undocumented families, reaffirming that he is giving Democrats two weeks to work out an asylum deal.
“I want to give the Democrats every last chance to quickly negotiate simple changes to Asylum and Loopholes,” the president wrote on Twitter. “This will fix the Southern Border, together with the help that Mexico is now giving us. Probably won’t happen, but worth a try. Two weeks and big Deportation begins!”
Trump set the timeline of two weeks on Saturday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was set to begin the deportations of up to 2,000 families who have missed a court date or have been served deportation orders starting on Sunday. Those plans sparked an outcry from Democrats and some law enforcement officials around the nation.
His tweet Sunday echoed what he said on his pre-recorded “Meet the Press” interview with Chuck Todd, which aired later Sunday morning.
“If the Democrats would change the asylum laws and the loopholes, which they refuse to do because they think it's good politics, everything would be solved immediately. But they refuse to do it,” he told Todd.
I want to give the Democrats every last chance to quickly negotiate simple changes to Asylum and Loopholes. This will fix the Southern Border, together with the help that Mexico is now giving us. Probably won’t happen, but worth a try. Two weeks and big Deportation begins!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2019
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said Trump reversed his decision to begin mass deportations because "he heard a lot of concerns from some folks on the Hill."
“The challenge is if there is a lawful deportation order, that is the law of the land and it is the job of the executive branch in our system of government to enforce the law,” Thornberry told Martha Raddatz, co-host of ABC's “This Week with George Stephanopolous.”
Thornberry also said he hopes Congress and the Trump administration can work through some immigration issues, including additional funding to take care of migrants at the border.
"This political standoff, when it comes to immigration and border security, has got to end," he said. "Even if we don't agree on everything, there ought to be some steps we can take together where we do agree."
