The reviews are in and the reviews are harsh for the Rose Garden unveiling of Jared Kushner’s immigration project (to call it a bill would be doing a disservice to real legislative proposals).
According to Pili Tobar, Deputy Director of America’s Voice:
It turns out, Jared Kushner did unify folks across the political spectrum on immigration after all. Unfortunately for him, it was the universal condemnation of what was never a serious policy proposal. Kushner’s school project was a failure, and Republicans and Democrats agree.
Yesterday’s bizarre and unserious immigration discussion should be viewed as a sideshow. Despite the half-hearted White House attempt to pretend to care about reforming our immigration system, the beating heart of Trumpism is hardcore and ceaseless xenophobia and draconian actions that punish immigrants as a demonstration of some sort of misguided ‘toughness.’ That’s what animates Trump and Stephen Miller and energizes audiences at campaign rallies while distracting them from Trump’s continued failures on his signature issue.
Let’s be clear: this is all about 2020 re-election and Jared’s school project doesn’t fit that narrative. As the White House and the Republican Party dig in for a tough battle amidst a self-created crisis along the border that will define Trump as a failure and fraud, expect Jared’s vanity project to be rightfully forgotten as Trump leans into cruelty, chaos, and fear-mongering to try and cover his continued failures on his signature issue.
See below for examples of how and why the Jared immigration vision was universally panned, rebuked by Democrats, Republicans, editorial observers, and hardcore Trumpian immigrant-haters alike:
Unnamed Republican consultant: “It’s put together by a son-in-law who fails to understand either the politics of immigration or the Trump base.” (The Hill)
Anti-immigration advocate Mark Krikorian: “They’ve made a conscious decision to embrace mass immigration and not include even a token reduction in the immigration level… That’s a problem precisely because this is not going to be a legislative vehicle.” (USA Today)
Unnamed White House official: “‘I think folks in the room were underwhelmed’ with the ‘whole plan’ presented by Kushner and Miller” (CNN)
A “Source in Trump’s Orbit”: “The plan doesn’t address DACA! How can you not address that?” (The Hill)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “‘dead on arrival’ and ‘not a remotely serious proposal.’” (The Hill)
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer: “a non-starter” (Washingotn Examiner)
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: “surefire failure” (The Hill)
Representative Maxine Waters: “very racist” (The Hill)
Los Angeles Times editorial board: “a woefully insufficient answer to a terribly difficult problem.”
