There is a MASSIVE “optics” difference between what appears to be in-your-face lawbreakers in CA vs. one-by-one, “hard working,” “students,” etc who are just trying to make it. No, the optics are totally different.
I don’t think there is any sympathy out there now for CA. It’s quite different (and you can see this even in legitimate polls) about the individual so-called “Dreamers.” Trump has even alluded to this.
Oh I agree Trump probably wants to give permanent legal status to the dreamers. But it’s the chain part of it that is problematic and he knows it. The courts have already addressed the program that applied to the parents (DAPA). Optics again.