The idea of trading amnesty for increased enforcement is incredibly stupid, as detailed at the link.

Now it turns out that Donald Trump doesn't even need to have "Trump Wall" as part of his plan to give amnesty to "DREAMers". As pointed out here for over two years, Trump is actually very weak on immigration. Even his supporters might one day wake up to that, but hopefully not before he can sign an amnesty bill.

Trump's legislative director Marc Short - Trump's liaison to Congress - appeared at a Christian Science Monitor event earlier today [1]:

On another big issue - immigration - Short said the White House will be laying out a set of priorities relating to the so-called "Dreamers" within a couple of weeks.

...On the Hill, it's assumed that the two parties will have to strike a deal that gives Republicans enhanced border security and Democrats a law that codifies DACA, which was done through executive action. But Short did not insist on such a deal, saying the White House doesn't want to "bind" itself into any particular legislative construct.

Still, he laid out the elements of immigration reform that are important to the president: border enforcement - including a physical barrier, interior enforcement, and a merit-based immigration system.

More on the event at [2]:

"We're interested in getting border security and the president has made the commitment to the American people that a barrier is important to that security," Short said. "Whether or not that is part of a DACA equation, or ... another legislative vehicle, I don't want to bind us into a construct that would make the conclusion on DACA impossible."

There had been speculation that Trump would require any compromise on potential DACA legislation include money for a wall along the southern border.

Short was adamant that his remarks are not an indication that the president is going soft on the wall.

"The president is not backing off a border wall," he said. "The president is committed to sticking by the commitment that a physical structure is needed ... whether that is part of a DACA package or another package, I won't prejudge that today, but he's committed to getting that wall built."

Amnesty is what the Dems dearly want. If Trump won't demand funding the Wall for it, then what else would Trump have to give away to get his Wall? An even larger amnesty that'd cover millions of illegal aliens? Trump Wall is perhaps the top issue for his base; it's a completely unnecessary idea but it's what his base wants. The smart alternative to the Wall is to make enabling illegal immigration politically toxic by making smart arguments that undercut the Dems to their base. Instead of doing that, Trump is turning his back on his base and capitulating to the Dems.

See DREAM Act for the huge downsides of legalizing DREAMers. Past coverage of Trump's amnesty here, here, and here.

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[1] csmonitor · com/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast/2017/0912/On-tax-reform-Trump-looks-to-avoid-the-same-fate-as-health-care by Francine Kiefer

[2] thehill · com/homenews/administration/350196-white-house-border-wall-funding-doesnt-have-to-be-tied-to-daca by Jonathan Easley of The Hill