House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicated to the Washington Post on Monday that Democrats may consider withholding their votes for a spending bill in December unless they can reach an agreement with Republicans on legislation restoring the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections.
Pelosi told the Washington Post that she intends “to use every possibility” to reach a deal protecting undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as minors.
“We’re not at that place yet,” she added, per the Post. “Right now, we’re trying to get Republicans to vote on what we believe.”
The White House on Sunday announced a list of demands for any deal restoring some protections for DACA recipients that could tank a potential deal with Democrats. The Trump administration demanded that any agreement include funding for the border wall, curb legal immigration and limit the relatives that immigrants can bring to the U.S.
The list of hard-line immigration demands runs against the supposed tentative agreement that President Donald Trump reached with Democratic leaders. Pelosi told the Washington Post that she still believes Trump wants to protect DACA recipients, but that his staff proposed a list of demands that could threaten a DACA deal.
“I do believe the President when he says he wants to protect the dreamers. I do not think what his staff put forward is in furtherance of that. In fact, it’s endangering them,” Pelosi said.
Trump on Tuesday morning defended the hard-line immigration proposals issued by the White House, arguing that it would be challenging to work with Democrats on immigration.
The problem with agreeing to a policy on immigration is that the Democrats don't want secure borders,they don't care about safety for U.S.A.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017
