A 49 percent plurality said undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay and become citizens if they meet certain requirements. Twenty-one percent said undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay and become legal residents, but not citizens, if they meet certain conditions, and 22 percent said they should be deported.

So 70 percent want the 11 million, at the very least, to remain with legal status. It’s hard to fathom how Trump could be persuaded — other than by legal mumbo-jumbo from Attorney General Jeff Sessions — that this is a wise political course.

Trump, however, seems sealed in a nativist, xenophobic bubble where his loyal cadre of Christian evangelicals say his action was “compassionate” (!) and his Breitbart pals cheer on every attack on minorities and every bone thrown to the white nationalists (including the pardon of Joe Arpaio, for criminal contempt). One wonders whether his chief of staff, John F. Kelly, presented a representative array of business, community and religious leaders to impress upon his boss the sheer cruelty of his move. Perhaps Trump did get such edification, and knowing what he did was profoundly cruel hid behind Sessions, who made the announcement.

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Trump apparently doesn’t hear or isn’t persuaded by the voices outside the clique of right-wing Christian leaders (who gave up their moral credibility to play right-wing block back for team Trump). The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops roundly condemned his decision:

The cancellation of the DACA program is reprehensible. It causes unnecessary fear for DACA youth and their families. These youth entered the U.S. as minors and often know America as their only home. The Catholic Church has long watched with pride and admiration as DACA youth live out their daily lives with hope and a determination to flourish and contribute to society: continuing to work and provide for their families, continuing to serve in the military, and continuing to receive an education. Now, after months of anxiety and fear about their futures, these brave young people face deportation. This decision is unacceptable and does not reflect who we are as Americans.

That’s as ferocious a scolding as I’ve ever seen the bishops deliver (at least on a subject other than abortion) to a politician.

The Catholics were not alone. Leading Jewish organizations including the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Reform Movement, HIAS (a Jewish refugee organization) and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs all excoriated the move. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, implored Congress to act. (“Moore and other leaders of the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT) asked Trump and congressional leaders in Aug. 30 letters to maintain protections for Dreamers. More than two dozen Southern Baptists who did not sign the EIT’s Aug. 30 letter have affirmed the coalition’s statement of six general principles for immigration reform.”) Other Christian denominations added their condemnation. Leaders in the Muslim community also deplored Trump for “pandering to the demands of anti-immigrant extremists.”

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The criticism seemed to have gotten to Trump, who less than 12 hours after the DACA announcement tweeted, “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!” So never mind the deadline, and the Constitution won’t matter then!? Trump can never stand to take responsibility for his messes, nor be the bad guy; for that very reason DACA supporters must keep a laser-like focus on him.