Kelly’s comments drew fierce backlash on social media.
Speaking with reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday, White House chief of staff John Kelly discussed President Donald Trump’s immigration plan, including a proposal to offer legal status to eligible undocumented immigrants who did not previously apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Kelly told reporters he did not believe the president would extend the March 5 deadline when DACA protections expire, saying he was “not so sure this president has the authority to extend it. »
The Washington Post reported Kelly’s comments, including speculation from Kelly about why some eligible immigrants may not have applied for the program:
“There are 690,000 official DACA registrants and the president sent over what amounts to be two and a half times that number, to 1.8 million,” he said. The difference between [690,000] and 1.8 million were the people that some would say were too afraid to sign up, others would say were too lazy to get off their a**es, but they didn’t sign up.”
John Kelly, chief of staff for a golf cart-traveling indolent who wastes hours everyday tweeting at his television, is a stone racist. https://t.co/WE4PUuMGlT
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) February 6,2018
WH chief of staff promoting the “immigrants are lazy” trope. Maybe those who didnt sign up were afraid to trust that whoever came after Obama would preserve the program. Those fears are sadly proving justified https://t.co/kkTCmDANFH
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) February 6,2018
Kelly is a more authentic, disciplined avatar of Trumpist cultural grievance politics than Trump himself is. With Trump everything is mediated, at least somewhat, by his constant desire for praise, acceptance, and respect. Kelly’s contempt for modern civilian society is purer. https://t.co/Umyl71FHJO
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) February 6,2018
To the point I was just making: John Kelly works for Trump because he supports and admires Trump’s worldview and agenda. https://t.co/EiduTxkJqi
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 6,2018
John Kelly says many Dreamers were “too lazy to get off their assess” and sign up for DACA.
(Also he’s gonna try and deport the people who signed up for DACA) https://t.co/HczhDRzstJ
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 6,2018
Trump’s immigration proposal would offer a path to citizenship for the 1.8 million eligible immigrants, but it would also require $25 billion in funding for border security, including the start of construction on a border wall.
