State’s senators split on Trump proposal
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s proposal Saturday to extend deportation protections for some undocumented immigrants in exchange for the money he’s sought for a wall at the Mexican border was met with mixed reviews from Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators.
Republican Sen. Pat Toomey described it as a “sensible plan,” noting that the Senate is expected to vote on it next week.
“Speaker Pelosi should allow the House to do the same,” Toomey said in a statement Saturday evening.
Toomey criticized Pelosi for not negotiating with Trump, saying his border wall funding request was “reasonable and certainly deserved a counterproposal, at the very least.”
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, however, said the federal government should be reopened before any negotiations over additional border security funding occur.
“Once the government is reopened, Democrats and Republicans can talk about a range of ways to secure the border and reform our immigration system,” Casey said in a statement. “I have supported increased funding for border security, but I won’t vote to fund a wall that security experts say won’t work.”
The president’s proposal sought to put pressure on congressional Democrats as the monthlong government shutdown drags on.
Trump’s plan would reverse his administration’s efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the temporary protected status granted to immigrants from some Latin American and African nations.
He also called for hundreds of millions in new money for drugdetection efforts, humanitarian assistance, and the hiring of immigration judges and law enforcement agents at the southern border, in addition to $5.7 million for physical barriers along the border. lolson@mcall.com Twitter @LauraOlson 202-780-9540