Politico reported Thursday afternoon that the White House offered an immigration plan to Congress.
The White House plan satisfies Democrat Dreamer demands in exchange for a $25 billion fund to construct and secure the southern border, as well as a plan to curtail chain migration.
1.8 million Dreamers (individuals brought to the US by their parents without legal status) would receive legal status. The visa lottery would conclude and an individual would still be able to sponsor their immediate family members, but not extended family, according to details reported by Politico.
The White House believes their plan meets the demands of both parties.
In a call with Republican Hill staffers Thursday afternoon, a senior White House official outlined a one-page framework. The official called the new proposal “a compromise position that we believe… will get 60 votes in the Senate” and “a framework that ultimately will lead to passage of a law.”The official told Republican staffers that the White House proposal would establish a $25 billion trust fund for a border defense system, including a wall along the Mexican border — a key campaign promise made by President Donald Trump that he has repeatedly indicated must be included in a final deal. That money would also go toward technology and security at the Canadian border.The framework also eliminates the visa lottery and curbs U.S. migration by extended families, a fundamental change to existing immigration policy. New citizens would be able to sponsor their immediate families — spouses and children — to legally enter the country, but other relatives would be excluded.
Democrats failed to secure any substantive reform to President Obama’s extra-legal program DACA during budget negotiations, sparking protests nationwide.
Senate Minority Leader Schumer later claimed he’d withdrawn funding for The Wall from negotiations, claims the White House rebuffed.
Democrats have long-blamed Republicans for holding hostage any substantive immigration reform, particularly in regards to Dreamers.
Trump being the first to offer a plan to codify legal status for Dreamers pulls the teeth right out of Democrat rhetoric. If legislation is introduced mirroring the White House plan, Democrats would be put in a position to vote against legal status for Dreamers or give Republicans what they want on The Wall.
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