Throwing optics to the wind, Donald Trump’s campaign site now offers a $50 “American Dreamer” hat, playing off a line from the president’s State of the Union speech in January.
The navy-blue hat says “American Dreamer” in white stitching across the front, #MAGA in the back and an American flag on the side.
During his address on Jan. 30, Trump said, “Americans are dreamers too.” It was an apparent allusion to the “Dreamers,” the 3.6 million children of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. Some of those children are eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which allows them to live and work here. “Time” called the president’s phrase a “racist dog-whistle against immigrants.”
Last year, Trump announced he would rescind DACA effective March 5, potentially subjecting 690,000 people to deportation. But the courts have blocked that order. Last week, the Supreme Court refused to hear the administration’s case, requiring it to proceed through lower courts and ensuring it will stay in place at least until the fall. In the meantime, the government must continue to accept DACA applications.
The State of the Union speech was written by adviser Stephen Miller, a staunch nationalist and anti-immigration hard-liner. Miller and White House chief of staff John Kelly are resolutely opposed to loosening immigration restrictions. Members of Congress have complained they have blocked Trump from making a deal to resolve the issue.
Attempts to create a permanent solution to DACA have stalled in Congress and resulted in the brief government shutdown last month. The Trump administration last proposed a path to citizenship for Dreamers in exchange for funding for Trump’s long-promised border wall with Mexico. Both political parties objected.
As of now, there are no votes on immigration bills scheduled in either the Senate or the House. Any changes to immigration law are considered unlikely before November’s midterm elections.
