Trump says he wants to deal with DACA recipients 'with heart'

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Trump: We are going to deal with DACA with heart

President addresses difficulty of crafting policy that deals with the children of illegal immigrants

Amidst a fiery press conference Thursday, President Trump struck a softer tone on one of President Obama’s controversial executive orders on illegal immigrants -- saying he wanted to deal with children brought into the country illegally “with heart.”

During the marathon press conference, where he took multiple shots at members of the media and Hillary Clinton, Trump was asked about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Obama’s executive order that protects some young illegal immigrants known as “dreamers,” who were brought into the country illegally.

On the campaign trail, Trump had promised to repeal what he had called Obama’s “illegal” orders on illegal immigrants, but Thursday he said “we’re going to show great heart.”

“DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me,” he told reporters in the East Room.

“You have these incredible kids, in many cases not in all cases. In some of the cases they’re having DACA and they’re gang members and they’re drug dealers too,” he said. But you have some absolutely incredible kids…they were brought here in such a way, it’s a very, very tough subject.”

Trump said while he wants to deal with the DACA situation “with heart,” there are a lot of politicians he has to convince.

“The DACA situation is a very difficult thing for me as I love these kids, I love kids, I have kids and grandkids and I find it very hard doing what the law says exactly to do and, you know, the law is rough,” he said. “It’s rough, very very rough.”