On Thursday, President Donald Trump spoke with reporters about finding a solution for young immigrants who face the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 60 days.
“I think it can be bipartisan,” Trump said at the White House, “I hope it can be bipartisan. It can take care of a lot of problems; it would be really nice to do it in a bipartisan way.”
The remarks came in conjunction with a meeting the president held with congressional Republicans.
While he is calling for bipartisanship, the president insisted on several deal breakers that could undermine any legislation protecting Dreamers. The president said that “any legislation on DACA must secure our border with a wall. It must give our immigration officers the resources they need to stop illegal immigration.” The wall has long been rejected as a precondition by congressional Democrats.
Trump also denounced the Diversity Visa program yesterday and said that he wanted changes in the family-based immigration system.
“We’re working with Democrats,” Trump claimed. “We’re moving across the aisle. I think we have a lot of support. But we’ll soon see. I’d like to take care of DACA, but only under these conditions.”
At her Thursday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would be meeting with Democrats next week “to discuss the next steps on responsible immigration reform and to continue that discussion,” according to the Associated Press.
The Democrats want a “clean” bill for Dreamers that addresses the crisis Trump created by ending DACA. They have already said they will not end the family-based immigration system, nor will they appropriate billions of dollars to build the border wall.
