Is Stephen Miller trying to torpedo Trump's immigration deal?


If President Trump is unable to strike an immigration deal, White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller might be to blame, McClatchy reports.
Citing a whopping 14 sources, McClatchy reports that people on both sides of the aisle think Miller is pushing for controversial policies in an immigration deal because he knows they are untenable to Democrats and moderate Republicans and would thus sink any hopes of passing major legislation.
Miller has long held hard-line views on immigration. One source complained to McClatchy that Trump "could have had a deal months ago. [Miller] is actively undermining the president."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to craft an immigration deal sympathetic to the DREAMers — immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children by their parents — but Miller reportedly keeps pushing the White House to the right in bipartisan negotiations. McClatchy reports Miller was "irked" after White House Chief of Staff John Kelly agreed to relent on some of Miller's pet policies, including a reduction in legal immigration and harsh restrictions for people seeking asylum.
But last Friday, the White House reasserted its desire for the hard-line policies Miller has advocated for. Moreover, the aide has long been on the front line for tough immigration policies. McClatchy pointed out that in 2013, Miller — at the time a staffer for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was then serving as a Republican senator for Alabama — worked relentlessly to oppose a bipartisan immigration bill that ultimately failed in the House.
One source told McClatchy that Miller's previous efforts do not bode well for the future: "Look what happened last time. ... [Lawmakers] are having flashbacks." But the administration defended its man, with one unnamed White House source telling McClatchy, "He is trying to make a deal." Read more at McClatchy.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
September 7 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include stressing about Powerball, and a busy FBI schedule
-
Nvidia: unstoppable force, or powering down?
Talking Point Sales of firm's AI-powering chips have surged above market expectations –but China is the elephant in the room
-
5 hard-working cartoons about Labor Day celebrations
Cartoons Artists take on creation of AI, spelling mistakes, and more
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal