Opinion: Did the ‘Art of the Deal’ president come up with a smart way to preserve DACA?

To the editor: I have to admit that as much as I’ve been disgusted by President Trump these last several months, this is brilliant strategy in rescinding the protection of children brought by their parents illegally into the United States, otherwise known as DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. (“Ending DACA was an act of pure cruelty by Trump,” editorial, Sept. 5)

Think about it. Nothing changes for six months except that now the Republican-controlled Congress has a mandate to come up with legislation to replace the executive order. If lawmakers accomplish nothing, they will be exposed for the ditherers that they are. If they accomplish something, they will deeply alienate their conservative base.

Further, if nothing happens, Trump can put back into place a revised DACA and blame Congress for forcing him to do so. Maybe he will even gain some moral ground with disgusted voters like me in the process.

Perhaps Trump does know something about the art of the deal, though I will never concede that his skill, so to speak, is grounded in anything but his character as a bully and a narcissist. But if what I imagine comes to fruition, we may have to hand this one to him.

Randy Farhi, Leimert Park

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To the editor: You say Trump is cruel to end DACA.

The real cruelty came from President Obama, with his arguably unconstitutional executive order for DACA. It is cruel to give people hope by signing an executive order that may be illegal.

Only Congress makes laws, not the president.

Darlene Johnson, Kelso, Wash.

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To the editor: As Trump and Republican lawmakers play political hot-potato with DACA, the lives of nearly 800,000 young immigrants are being upended.

For the last eight months, we have witnessed a plethora of impulsive and bad decisions by a severely inept president. This particular one is the cruelest yet.

Trump didn’t even have the guts to break the news himself, leaving that dirty deed to Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. He claims to “love the Dreamers,” but his actions clearly show that those are empty words.

Ramona Saenz, Alhambra

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