Since Trump announced that the DACA program would be ending, he’s repeatedly stated how much he wants Congress to agree on a broader immigration deal that would protect the Dreamers by codifying DACA. This week alone, President Trump stated he’d “take the heat” if undocumented immigrants were protected by whatever deal Congress comes up with and a federal court ordered DACA to continue (the administration will likely appeal), calling the decision to end the program “arbitrary.”
According to Sen. Jeff Flake, a bipartisan group of Senators have been working for months on legislation to protect DACA and have finally reached a deal. Details of the deal weren’t immediately available, and a spokesperson for Democratic Senator Dick Durbin declined to confirm that a deal had been reached. If the Senate has reached a deal on a legislative solution, it would still face an uphill battle in the House of Representatives before heading to Trump’s desk.
According to Flake’s spokesperson, though, “It’s the only game in town. There’s no other bill.” However, during Thursday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was not aware of any deal happening yet. Of course, Sanders issues denials as a default setting, so her word is hard to accept as truth.
If a deal does truly exist, it’s understood that DACA recipients would be protected while also being offered a path to citizenship, among other things.
(Via Associated Press & CNBC)