Here is a simple question that the Democratic Party leadership doesn’t want you to focus on too much, will they cave on the much-needed legislation for the DACA recipients that are languishing in fear? Many of you reading this today, who are Democratic Party stalwarts, are asking yourselves one of two questions; (1) how could I even imagine that the Democrats would abandon the Dreamers, or, (2) it’s not the fault of the Democrats because it was Donald Trump who cancelled Obama’s Dreamer protection.

Shortly after Donald Trump cancelled DACA I posted how it was the “right thing to do.” Immediately the hate emails and comments started to flow. I was labelled everything from a redneck Republican to a “vendido” for selling out my people. My favorite one was the “vendido” ones because anyone that knows just a tiny bit about me, knows that I’ve been actively opposing Donald trump since he first announced his presidential candidacy be demonizing Mexicans like myself. Not only do I actively post Twitter posts about his idiocy, but I have written numerous blog posts about how Trump and his ilk have Mexicans and México all wrong. Just use the search bar on my blog. But, that’s not all, I even have a weekly editorial cartoon set at RumpToons (http://rumptoons.com) poking fun at him.

I’m not a “vendido”.

What I am is someone that understand that temporary legislation makes the plight of the Dreamers much worse for them. The problem with executive policy orders, such as DACA, or Deferred Action for Children Arrivals, is that they are temporary in nature subject to the whims of the incoming president. Additionally, DACA only provided two-year work permits and stay against deportations for a select group of undocumented immigrants. It was a temporary solution that conferred no permanent solution to their status. Every two years or each incoming president is/was a threat to the DACA recipients.

Because of this reality I applauded Trump’s cancellation of DACA.

Ending the DACA protection puts the issue in the realm of Congress, where it should be. Congress can solve the problem on a permanent basis. But, the problem is that although the Democrats and the Republicans all say they want to solve the problem, neither side wants to actually do it.

Fixing the problem takes away their ability to use immigrants as fodder for their politics. This is true for both parties. They’d rather finger point each other for the reason they don’t want to fix it.

Congress is facing a January 19 deadline to enact a budget to keep the government humming along.

Donald Trump wants to use the budget legislation to achieve the one goal he so desperately wants, funding for the wall. The Republicans want to increase funding for the military and other pet projects. The Democrats, likewise have pet projects as well as impeding Trump’s ability to govern.

Both the Democrats and the Republicans argue that they want to resolve the Dreamer issue in favor of allowing them to stay, but both parties are using them as political fodder to achieve their political goals. This is where things get interesting.

It takes 60 votes in the Senate to enact legislation to fund the government.

With Doug Jones (D) being sworn in yesterday, the makeup of the Senate is now 51 Republicans to 49 Democrats.

Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have enough votes to pass government funding on their own. Each party needs the other, although the Republicans, who hold the majority, only need nine Democrats to vote with them.

This is where the Democrats will show their true colors. They have the power to force forward legislation to resolve the Dreamer issue by simply caucusing together and forestalling a vote on the government budget until the Republicans come around on the Dreamer issue.

It is a simple case of mathematics and party ideology. Do the Democrats really want to solve the Dreamer issue, or are the Dreamers only a tool to enact their political agenda?

We will soon know if the Democrats are willing to resolve the Dreamer issue or not. My bet is that they cave, arguing that the solution to the Dreamers will be taken up in the future, because the Republicans promised them so. Reading between the lines, this argument is really saying, the Dreamers are just a tool for a broader public policy agenda.