the white house is living today a summit on the opioid epidemic. first ladys from melania trump and others. including the attorney general jeff sessions. that is coming up this afternoon at 1:00 eastern. we will take you live to the white house when it gets underway. until then, some of today's washington journal. >> back at our table this morning, the relations director for the lawyers association here to talk about the deferred action childhood program, daca. where does it stand right now. there is a march 5 deadline coming up, will congress act before that >> thank you for having me on. ,aving worked on immigration and also with refugees for over a decade on trying to get reform done, what i'm struck by is the amount of momentum that we really have here in washington, but more importantly in the united states, and if you look

at how much support there is, americans want for congress to pass permanent protection for these young people that were brought here that we call dreamers. they have an uncertain future because they do not have legal status. outw days ago, cnn came with a pole 83% of americans for permanent legal status dreamers beard that is consistent. abc polled a lot of the major networks polling organizations have shown that more than 80% of americans want this. that momentum is being heard. when i talk to legislators, they seriously want to get this job done. i think it is not a question of when, it is a matter of when that political -- host: -- i no longer talking daca. out of sight out of mind. daca beneficiaries should not be happy. nancy pelosi does not care about them. republicans stand ready to make a deal. who is talking and what could

this deal look like? the president's comments aside, i think what is remarkable is that conversations are still actively going on. i am talking to senators and members of the house every day. this is a bipartisan effort now. that is what is notable. just a few months ago, republicans house members, over 30 of them sent a letter saying that we want get this done. we need to pass potential for these dreamers now. the conversations have been going on for the couple weeks. .or a couple weeks they could not get a bill passed. but they got a majority on a couple of the bills that were offered. that shows how much support there is. now, it really comes down to a couple things. first, the president needs to act. he needs to show some leadership. this is an opportunity for him. he has said that he cares about the dreamers. aery time that there has been

bipartisan deal that has been presented to him, at least twice now, he has made efforts to shoot it down. that has to stop. he needs to tell the american people that he is behind a real package. he can't say no to everything after he said he wants to see a real deal. when senators come together from , he sides of the aisle needs to seriously support and packet. that will make things get done. guest: could he, by executive action, pushed back by another six months this deadline? host: -- guest: he has the authority to do it. he resented in september on his own. he has -- host: he resented what? he rescinded a program that president obama had created in 2012. the deferred action for childhood arrivals program. it is often called daca. his viewpoint is that daca was

not a lawful exercise of the previous president authority. by our analysis, the deferred action basis for this is a long-standing practice that has been done. obama, but president by several presidents who have used this authority. the first time president obama used it -- the legal authority is there. president trump rescinded that. he has the authority to continue it, he can let it stay. he has made a strong public position saying that he doesn't think -- it is caught up in the courts now. deadline that the president said this has got to end. he is going to terminate it weird it has caught up in the courts now because people are suing and saying that he is -- that he rescinded the program in a way that is not lawful. he is fighting that. , as thisenge is that

deadline approaches, the uncertainty for these young people's lives is really serious. i've talked to dreamers from around the country. i have talked to people from north dakota. women who are dreamers. they are in their 20's. they are sisters. the real challenge, the real fear that they describe is the fact that they have young children themselves. they were infants or toddlers. they are worried what is going to happen to these young people that are bored in the -- born in the united states if their mothers have to leave the country. american would understand that. that is why americans support protecting dreamers. said,what have the courts the judges were going to be hearing these cases about the daca program? guest: right now, we have two --rts, two federal judges , two federal judges

who say that the way he rescinded the program was unlawful. he is saying that the president could not just ended this way -- not just and it this way. the president tried to do a run around through the appeals process and go directly to the supreme court. the supreme court said you can't bypass the usual process. this needs to go through the court of appeals. is going, daca program to be reviewed by the court of appeals. and that will go probably through the summer and fall. host: does that impact the march 5 deadline? what the judges have said. does it give relief to daca? right now they prevent the president from terminating the program. because of those rulings from the courts, the president has said that he will allow the program to continue to stay open

and allow people who have already seen daca to renew their applications. this is theis that court system. it is unpredictable. people who are, have not gone documented cannot apply a new. there is no new application process. it is only for someone who is already had it. courts are so unpredictable, that uncertainty will live on for the dreamers. i think that is how most americans realize. it is not the way to run a country. programs like these that affect hundreds of thousands of lives, depend on whether a judge is going to rule a certain way. the president needs to act. host: we have a line for daca recipients -- recipients. we want to hear your stories as well. quickly, before we get to the calls, how long could it take for these lower courts to hear

the case and make a decision? for the two cases that are currently before the courts in the second circuit and ninth circuit, that would take several months. if the president or to bring it up again to the supreme court, the court would make a decision to review it for the next coming term that starts in the fall. that is still several months before these cases get reviewed. it is important to realize that during this time the people that don't have any protection as dreamers, the larger population of over one million, they don't know what their lives will have in store. they have any protection. the president, the way he has been running the part -- running the department is extremely harsh. he has picked up dreamers. he has picked up the family members and put them into enforcement. to have them removed from the country. deported. the threat is real.

host: let's hear from our viewers. caller: good morning. i just wanted to make the comment, and also a question. onas watching a documentary some talk of children 17 years old, that was basically kidnapped on their way to church . the family members did not know where these young people were. detentionng held in in a cell for six months. he tried to commit suicide. he has been there for six months, along with other people. other children. where are these people being held? my heart goes out to these children and families. ,he president is saying illegals, why don't they start in the presence? criminals.ot

these are people being bullies going to take our children. i consider them our children, they are in this country. host: ok, we will take your question. thank you for the question. it is important to distinguish what we are talking about you mentioned at the end, who are criminals in the prison system. if somebody has, is in violation of immigration law, the process that the government will go enforce the law against you, typically you would appear in front of a judge. sometimes, in some cases this people will be held in detention. a criminal for purpose, that is for civil immigration law violation. the courts are -- the immigration enforcement is supposed to make a decision as to whether you need to be detained based on whether or not you are a flight risk.

or whether or not you might -- you may pose some kind of safety threat. we have seen this president till his enforcement officials to detain far more people. these are dreamers. these are family members. these are people who have lived here for a long time, have jobs, who have contributed to our country. they have not done anything wrong except for being in violation of immigration laws. is not a small matter. but does it mean they have to be detained in jail at a huge cost to the american taxpayer? we are talking over $40,000 per year to keep somebody in detention. that is on the backs of taxpayers. -- the tragedy is that we are seeing young dreamers who are being apprehended and put into jail for detention, just pending the hearing. some of them already have

protection, but their problems persist. is the dreamer population and how many are being arrested compared to the other illegal immigration that is happening? guest: that is good question. the total population that has received daca is about 800,000. the number of dreamers that could receive green protection is a little over 2 million, possibly 3 million. the fact is that we don't know how many people who have dr. action -- who have daca protection -- we hear from immigration lawyer members from the country, occasionally these cases are happening. some of them get attention in the news. they are tragic and they are real tragedies. most americans really support providing protection to allow them to stay here. let alone be put into detention. host: the supreme court ruled that immigrants can be detained indefinitely. does that apply to all

immigrants, including daca recipients? guest: that ruling is a more narrow provision about the authority of the court to detain individuals. relevant as directly to the dreamer population that we are talking about. the government has wide latitude to detain people for immigration proceedings, but has to go about that very carefully. it is the same kind of question any judge would make. that is whether or not a person poses a risk of flight or a danger to our community. in most of these cases, that is not going to be present. host: let's go to jose. what mr. obama did was wrong. that is why it is a problem right now. immigrant i feel

offended when they -- this daca recipients, they wave the mexican flag or wherever they came from, this is a country of law and order. american people feel offended when they see some other country flag waving. i think daca recipients need a break, but at the same time, they have to understand that to become american it is a privilege. it is not a right. you have to ask. you have no right to demand. that is what i want to say. host: we will have the response. guest: thank you for the call. responses, first of all, as an association of immigration legal -- lawyers -- we respect the rule of law. we think it is very important.

that is not something to be taken lightly. what president obama did in creating the deferred action for childhood arrivals program is to draw upon something that is based on regulation called deferred action. it is based on the long-standing authority that presidents, dating back to the 1950's, have used to grant temporary reprieve from enforcement based on the assessment that somebody is not a priority to enforce the law against. this has been done by president , for president reagan various populations over time. president obama was the first one to do it for the dreamer population. exercise of his authority. president trump does not think so. that case is now in the courts. it was a lawful exercise of authority that the president has. you mentioned that the young people that are one -- waving their flags, we all know the first amendment. what i am struck by, about the

dreamer population, is the fact that these young people really know no other country as their home, except for the united states. they call america their home. they go to high school year. sometimes great school. a lot of them don't even speak the language of their native tongue. they want to contribute here. they are working, going to school. the is what strikes in heart of most americans to want to protect this population whose status is really tenuous. they are hanging from a thread. that is why the president understands this and wants to act. congress need to put the bill on the floor. host: democrat. i have been listening to this daca thing and obama was wrong. when he done the daca thing to begin with. we are given amnesty to these people. it is amnesty.

i am not for amnesty. i know they been here since they been kids, but that is their parents fault for brangen them here. ast be fine with me, as long it is just them. nobody else and their family. unless they want to bring one person, that is fine. bringing eight and 10 people, i'm not for that. host: let's talk about that. that is a worth it has been used by the president and republicans. what does it mean? guest: a couple of things to bring a p or, the action the president took. president obama did this within his legal authority. knowing that, it was not a long-term solution. president obama recognize that we need congress to act to pass

immigration reform. y's businesses are waiting a long time to get the visas -- we has only many friends who haven't been able to have a spouse come because the system just does not work the way it does. chain migration is directed related to that. there are legal immigration quotas are established every year for how many people can be brought in as workers. businesses will typically sponsor them. .r a family member a u.s. citizen can petition for only their immediate family to come here. that is your spouse, your child. and for your citizen, you can also bring your parents. no aunts or uncles can be brought in. that process takes a long time because of the quotas that were established by congress saying you can only bring in a certain number each year. for some of the categories that

we are talking about, they will , if notng for years over a decade, to come reify with their family. some people will call and say why do i have to wait for so long to bring my family member? needs tohy congress reform this. the president has used this term , chain migration, before. an inaccurate term for a variety of reasons. first of all, it implies that one person can bring in for many family members. and that the next person will turn around and petition for many more family members. nobody can bring in an uncle or aunt, or a grandparent. it is only for the close family members. wait, peoplee long kept waiting for years and decades, it would take a long time for someone to bring in more than just one or two people of their close family.

it is a misused term. it is inaccurate. most people understand why waiting in the immigration system take so long. that's why most americans want congress to parts -- to pass a bill. so that businesses can get the workers they want. and so that families can be together in the united states. host: republican. caller: -- percentage of people that want this. i have talked to is against it. i don't know where they are getting their polls. ridiculous. these people smuggled these people into the country. now we took care of them author great school, kindergarten, high school, now they are taking the kids in our countries medical jobs. they're going to college for medical school.

and they are illegal when they come in the country, they are illegal aliens. we are sick of paying for these people. -- i forget what her name is, it cost american people $539 million for taxes to support these people. the illegals and's country. billion of childhood income credit they're getting. we are sick of these people coming in and taking all of our kids jobs. host: heard your point. respond to his numbers in that sentiment. american taxpayers are paying for illegal immigrants to live in this country. they are not paying taxes, but they're getting benefits. i appreciate that

question. out thes don't bear point you are making that americans are losing their jobs or having jobs taken away by ou. that the economic growth that is provided and by the dreamer population are other people who are undocumented is significant. -- if theycipients were to be removed from this country, are grossed a method domestic- gross product would decline by over $400 billion over the next decade. it will hurt jobs. deporting these people overall would be devastating to our economy. many economic sectors -- look at agriculture, the farming industry, depends on immigrant

workers who are on authorized and are waiting -- you are unauthorized and are waiting. if you were to remove all of those undocumented, we would not have the food picked. you may feel like they are taking jobs away from your children but that is not in the the wages of high school educated are college-educated individuals across the country are not negatively impacted by immigrants in the united states. that is not true. host: what about illegal immigrants on welfare other federal benefits -- is that true? guest: i do not have the exact data, but by and large, immigrants do not take more from the public welfare system and they actually contribute to it. it is not based in reality.

most immigrants that are working in the united states, they are going pay into the social security system and not to be able to even receive those benefits later on. they are contributing more than they will ever see back and social security payouts. host: donovan, virginia, republican. caller: thank you. the daca people, they need a believeke, but i do not they need to become citizens. they are taking our jobs. they are not just working out in the field like you say so do not even go there. they are taking over the construction companies. they are taking the overall of the construction that is around because i used to work in construction. you go to a construction site now, 90% are mexican people and they are not legally here.

i feel sorry for the ones that did get here the legal way and dished out all of the money they had to for lawyers just to be, citizen. come incannot go back, the right way. not the daca people, but the other 11 million people. host: mr. chen. i already addressed the issue of economy and wages but to the collar, maybe i'll just run for its -- i'll just reference a couple of things. for the daca population, these ,re young people who are here contributing to our country and it is important to recognize that even if there is a perception that they are working in taking away jobs, they are mostly here working and contributing to our country. the economic impact is not

present and we do not see that taking place in the way the caller mentioned. host: senators introduce three-year or daca-border deal. it would be a short-term fix with three years of border security funding. ? do you think this could past? what are you think this capacity -- do you think this could pass? is a short-term extension of the daca program that congress is talking about. they really think of a dream act which provides long-term protection for the dreamers, is what needs to be passed. caller that the just called before mentioned that he supports passing legislation.

that is important to have dr. extended for less than three extended to have daca for less than three years, that is going to put these young people and -- in a situation. if that is all congress can do, that is something that needs to be considered. the other side is a substantial border security funding. that deserves attention. the border is more secure than it has ever been. we are an all-time high for spending $20 billion on border security every year. we do not need additional border security money at this stage. wall is just a slogan. spending more money on the border security when we do have

jobs that are needed at the federal government could be spending its money and a wiser way -- americans would support that. where they support a copper mise the -- compromised deal that includes that, this is about compromise. if congress cannot get comprehensive reform done, at least congress should pass the dream act to protect these dreamers. host: if our viewers want to iley -- theyout a can go to aily.org. guest: thank you for having me. minutes, we will take you live to the white house for the summit on the opioid epidemic.