Hidden within a new report from The Hill Democrats think Republicans are “putting too much on the back of Dreamers”.
White House chief of staff John Kelly met privately with a key group of senators on Tuesday over an Obama-era immigration program as Congress looks increasingly likely to punt the fight into January.Â
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Kelly and Department of Homeland Security officials used the meeting to lay out their ideas for what should be included in any border security package, including discussing fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.Â
Senators have been negotiating behind closed doors for months on what would be packaged together with a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
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Asked if he had a concrete idea of what the Trump administration will accept, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who took part in the meeting, quipped that Senate negotiators “got too much paper.” Â
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“They had a grandiose plan and I kind of stepped in and said ‘don’t put all this on the backs of Dreamers. Come back with what you need to include in this bill for the White House to support it,’ ” he told The Hill, using a common term for young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children who benefit from the DACA program.
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Sources told Politico that Kelly said the administration could return with a new list of demands within days, though lawmakers in both parties signaled on Tuesday that Congress isn’t expected to tackle the immigration fight before next year.
This is great news for Conservatives. Just a few months ago it seemed as if Republicans were going to cave on DACA without getting a lot in return. Now, it seems that Republicans have officially realized how big of a win they can make this issue and come out not only looking good with their base but also in the eyes of the American people. Imagine if this deal is struck and the Republicans are able to stop chain migration for them, beef up security at the border and get funding for the border wall. This would be a win of epic proportions and one that Conservatives haven’t seen in quite some time.
