The head of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday he would quit President Donald Trump’s National Diversity Council if he decides to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“I am out if he ends it,” Javier Palomarez told CNN’s Poppy Harlow.
He added, though, that he plans to “work until the bloody end to make sure that we can get our case across to the President.”
Palomarez said he agrees with Trump’s stated desire to prioritize the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. But he called Trump’s expected decision to end DACA, an Obama-era program extending legal protections to young undocumented immigrants, “a huge disappointment.”
“We’re dealing with a President that gave his word, that promised that he would take care of these 800,000 young people,” he said.
Palomarez also expressed his disappointment Monday, telling CNN’s Jim Acosta that Trump would be going back on his word to treat the recipients of the program with “heart” if he does make the decision to end it.
“If he gets rid of DACA, he’s showing that he is a liar,” Palomarez said.
The Trump administration was expected to announce its policy late Tuesday morning.
Trump said from the outset of his presidency he would treat DACA carefully and promised to “show great heart” when asked how he would handle the program.
And last week, Trump said, “We love the ‘Dreamers,'” referring to undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children and want to continue living their lives in the country.
Palomarez pointed to Republican members of Congress calling on Trump to continue the program, and echoed their arguments that there should be a permanent legislative solution as reasons that Trump might still be swayed.
“Hopefully, we can convince this President to do the right thing,” Palomarez said Monday.
He said the significance of the moment could perhaps even inspire Congress to pass immigration reform after dragging its feet on the issue for years and leaving millions with an uncertain legal future.
Sources have told CNN Trump was expected to end the program with a potential six-month delay, during which Congress could potentially pass legislation protecting people who would otherwise lose their legal protection under DACA.
Palomarez and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump in last year’s election. But since Trump’s victory, Palomarez has sought to work with the White House on several policy fronts.