‘Fairly close’
Trump says deal nearly reached with Democrats about DACA.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said that he and opposition Democrats are “fairly close” to a deal that would allow young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children to remain in the United States.
“I think we are fairly close but we have to get massive border security,” the president said after a dinner meeting on Wednesday evening with top Democratic lawmakers Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
Trump also said any move on illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children would have to be tied to security, disputing Democratic congressional leaders who said they had reached a deal with him on the issue.
“No deal was made last night on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent. Would be subject to vote,” Trump wrote in one of a series of posts on Twitter.
He was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme created by former President Barack Obama.
“The Wall (on the US-Mexico border), which is already under construction in the form of new renovation of old and existing fences and walls, will continue to be built,” Trump also wrote.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House of Represen- tatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi earlier said they had come to an agreement with Trump at a dinner meeting at the White House Wednesday evening.
“We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall, that’s acceptable to both sides,” Schumer and Pelosi said in a statement.
The White House strongly disputed that assessment.
“While DACA and border security were both discussed, excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Twitter on Wednesday night.
Still, Trump yesterday appeared to acknowledge the complexity of handing the issue of the immigrant children dubbed “Dreamers”.
“Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really! They have been in our country for many years through no fault of their own – brought in by parents at young age. Plus big border security,” Trump wrote in another tweet.