DHS Secretary tells DACA recipients not to worry even if there is no immigration deal

Appearing on “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen signaled that the administration would not deport DACA recipients even if DACA expires and there is no immigration deal:

.@SecNielsen on #DACA deportations: "It's not going to be a priority of @ICEgov to prioritize their removal. I've said that before. That's not the policy of DHS." https://t.co/PM1g9bB6jj pic.twitter.com/g91D33pne6

— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) January 16, 2018

“I hope it will” get done — but if program ends, “it’s not going to be a priority of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize their removal,” Nielsen said:

DHS Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen says re: DACA renewal, "I hope it will" get done — but if program ends, "it's not going to be a priority of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize their removal." (@CBSThisMorning)

— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) January 16, 2018

As long as you don’t commit a crime, that is:

DHS Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen: "If you are a DACA that's compliant with your registration, meaning you haven't committed a crime, and you in fact are registered, you're not priority of enforcement for I.C.E. should the program end."

— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) January 16, 2018

Nielsen also said this is “in perpetuity”:

.@jdickerson: "And that is in perpetuity?"
DHS Sec. Nielsen: "That would be in perpetuity, but of course, that means you can’t commit a crime, and we will enforce the law."

— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) January 16, 2018

And then the conversation went down the proverbial s*ithole:

DHS Sec. Nielsen says again that she does not recall if Trump made "shithole" remark in Oval Office meeting:
"I have no problem repeating what I've said. I just don't — I don’t — that's not a word that I remember being used. It was very impassioned."

— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) January 16, 2018

DHS Sec. Nielsen: "People on all sides feel strongly about this issue, frankly, as well they should. There were a lot of conversations happening at the same time. It's not a particular phrase that I heard."

— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) January 16, 2018

Tune in later for even more s*ithole coverage:

Nielsen likely to face questions about Trump's "shithole" comment during appearance before Senate Judiciary Committee today

— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) January 16, 2018

***