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President Donald Trump walked across the tarmac at Langley Air Force Base on Thursday.

Remarks that the president made to a gathering of TV anchors this week briefly gave cautious hope to immigrants and their advocates that Donald Trump could support a path to citizenship for thousands of immigrants now in the country illegally, a stark departure from his previous stances.

But hours later, those hopes were dashed when Trump made no mention of that sentiment in his first address to Congress.

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It was the latest twist in an evolving discussion of immigration that has kept policy watchers guessing.

Trump has been kind of all over the map on legal immigration, said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, a research group that favors limits on immigration. But Trump has remained consistent in his focus on immigrants who have committed crimes, she said.

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Hes gone from they all have to go to were going to focus on the people causing problems, she said. I dont think hes lost the part that this needs to serve our national interest.

Yet another version of a piece of Trumps immigration crackdown is expected any day, when he releases a revised executive order designed to hold up in court.

It would revise one of the three executive orders on immigration he signed in January. The first two called for stepped up border security and enforcement of immigration laws, and broadened the pool of immigrants to target for deportation, leading to more arrests and detentions. The third order temporarily barred people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The White House promised to replace that order after it was halted by a federal court, but the replacement has not yet been introduced.

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In his speech before Congress Tuesday, Trump said the time may be ripe for immigration reform, and suggested that the country should have a merit-based immigration system, which would prioritize the admission of immigrants with specific skills.

Steve Kropper, cochair of the Massachusetts Citizens for Immigration Reform, said Trump has so far introduced only attention-grabbing proposals, rather than initiatives that could lead to lasting change in the immigration system. It wont be long, he said, until Trump gives up, and perhaps even offers amnesty to those in the country illegally.

I doubt that Trump has the stamina for the long slog that is meaningful changes in immigration, Kropper said.

Advocates for immigrants say that the arrests of immigrants happening across the country, including two separate arrests of young people who were previously protected under Barack Obamas program for immigrants brought to the United States as children, have many people fearful, no matter what Trump may say now.

Its hard to tell whether the public backlash has actually had an effect on the administrations policy, or if theyre trying to create more confusion and chaos, said Laura Rotolo, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts who focuses on immigration. Whats happening on the ground is, there continues to be a true sense of confusion of what the policies are.

ERIK S. LESSER/EPA

President Donald J. Trump returned to the White House on Thursday.

For example, said Zoila Gomez, an immigration lawyer, a lawful permanent resident from the Dominican Republic whom federal officials want to deport was arrested at his home this week and is being detained while he awaits deportation proceedings, even though he had been allowed to remain free since 2014 as his case moved through the process.

What is the point of picking him up, and putting him in jail, when he is already in the system and complying? Gomez said.

In trying to understand the seeming mixed messages from the White House, policy observers said that its possible that the president is now listening to Cabinet members and other members of his administration and immigration advocates on the issue.

I do think his position has evolved, and I definitely see the influence of people now in his Cabinet in refining what his agenda is on immigration, Vaughan said.

She and others added, though, that such proposals are nothing more than proposals.

He wants to indicate hes open to something, but being open to talk to someone is different than having a plan, she said. If he were to embark on a big legalization program at this point in time, he would really upset a lot of his supporters.

Vaughan said the president has authority to enforce existing immigration laws in a way that protects the country, for instance by ordering the deportations of criminals, but she said that any true reform will need congressional action, something that hasnt happened since 1990.

In his speech Tuesday, Trump called on Congress to come to a compromise and take action.

I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nations security, and to restore respect for our laws, Trump said.

Congressional Democrats and immigration advocates were not swayed. One group, the National Immigration Law Center, released a statement saying that Trump has already spread fear among immigrant communities.

Actions speak louder than words, Kamal Essaheb, policy and advocacy director, said in the statement.

Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said in an interview that he does not believe the president has wavered or changed course, even after Tuesdays speech, but instead has followed through on the campaign promises he made, to target criminals and create a merit-based immigration system. There really shouldnt be any confusion, he said.

You have to listen to what the president said, and until you hear otherwise, thats the presidents position, he said. It all seems to indicate he believes our immigration laws need to be enforced, and our legal immigration system needs to be overhauled.

As far as were concerned, thats the policy of the administration, he said.

See the article here:
Mixed messages from Trump on immigration - The Boston Globe