IMMIGRATION/JOHN KELLY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House signaled little flexibility on immigration on Tuesday [2-6-18] , saying lawmakers must pass a bill on President Donald Trump’s terms and offering no relief on the tight timeline for Congress. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who has been a key adviser to Mr. Trump on immigration, said he wouldn’t support Congress passing a short-term legislative patch to give itself more time on a broader immigration bill. He said he would counsel Mr. Trump to oppose any such effort… Mr. Kelly also said he doubts the Trump administration will extend a program protecting young undocumented immigrants beyond March 5, if lawmakers fail to agree on a legislative replacement by that deadline. Mr. Trump has previously said he was open to an extension of the program he ended last year, depending on the circumstances.
In his own comments later in the day, Mr. Trump also struck a tough tone on immigration, saying he welcomes a government shutdown if that is what it takes to get tougher border measures in place… In exchange for protections for young undocumented immigrants, Mr. Trump has insisted on $25 billion in border security and wall funding, new limits on family migration, an end to the diversity visa lottery and other changes in immigration law.
With his comments Tuesday, Mr. Trump appeared eager for a high-profile fight, but his words were out of sync with the current state of play on Capitol Hill. Democrats are no longer threatening a government shutdown over immigration, as they did last month, and a two-year spending agreement appears to be at hand.”
-Laura Meckler and Michael C. Bender, “White House Says Congress Must Accept Its Terms on Immigration,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 6, 2018 07:10pm