Hours after rejecting a claim by Democrats about a deal to protect 800,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation, President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed that he was “fairly close” to a deal with Congressional leaders, but stressing that the agreement should simultaneously include ‘massive border security’ measures.
“We’re working on a plan for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). People want to see that happen. You have 800,000 young people, brought here, no fault of their own. So we’re working on a plan, we’ll see how it works out. We’re going to get massive border security as part of that,” Trump told before proceeding to Florida to survey the damage wreaked by Hurricane damage.
As for his signature campaign push to build the wall along the border with Mexico, Trump commented: “The wall will come later. We’re right now renovating large sections of the wall, massive sections, making it brand new.” Trump’s assertions came as an about-turn after a flurry of early morning tweets in which he disputed the claim by Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi that they had forged a deal with him on Wednesday night to protect the “dreamers” from deportation.
“No deal was made on DACA. Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent. Would be subject to vote,” he said, adding: “The WAll, which is already under construction in the form of new renovation of old and existing fences and walls, will continue to be built.”
In the same breath, however, Trump voiced his sympathy for the “dreamers”, noting: “Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the militaryIJ Really!...They have been in our country for many years through no fault of their own-brought in by parents at young age.”
last week, Trump had tossed the DACA issue over to Congress, asking it to resolve the issue within six months through a suitable legislation before the executive amnesty unveiled by former President Barack Obama for the young illegal aliens gets terminated.
Prior to Trump’s tweetstorm, Schumer and Pelosi had claimed that at their meeting with him, an agreement had indeed been reached on protecting the “dreamers” and working on border security measures, “excluding the wall”. The statement about exclusion of the wall at once angered the Republican’s conservative lawmakers and right-wing commentators. Trump, however, asserted that the top Republicans in the two chambers –Paul Ryan and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell – were “on board” with the deal in the works.
“Unbelievable! Amnesty is a pardon for immigration law breakers coupled with the reward of the objective of their crime,” tweeted Congressman Steve King, adding: “Trump base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, and disillusioned beyond repair. No promise is credible.” Trump “needs to stay the course and keep his promises or it’s over”, warned Sean Hannity, the Fox News Channel’s pro-Trump talk show host, telling the President: “Pelosi and Schumer can never be trusted.”
Earlier, Trump’s recently-fired chief strategist Steve Bannon asserted that the President had caved in completely. His website, Breitbart, ran a report ‘Amnesty Don’. The mounting disquiet in the Republican camp prompted the White House to contest the Democrats’ claim of a deal. “While DACA and border security were both discussed, excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to,” Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted.