NEWS UPDATE: Top Democrats Say a Deal Has Been Reached with Trump Regarding DACA and Border Security

Following a Wednesday night meeting with President Trump, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Chuck Schumer now say they have reached a deal with the White House to quickly pass legislation protecting DACA recipients, also known as “Dreamers,” from deportation, alongside a budget package for border security measures.  This announcement comes only eight days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the DACA program, instituted by Obama to halt deportations of people who came to the United States as children, would be coming to an end.

Congresswoman Pelosi and Senator Schumer released a joint statement Wednesday following their meeting with the president, noting that they “had a very productive meeting at the White House with the president,” and that they “agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security.”

The statement also specifically indicated that this deal was “excluding the wall,” referring to the construction of a wall along America’s southern border with Mexico, an issue that became a linchpin of President Trump’s 2016 campaign.

The White House quickly issued a follow-up statement, noting that no firm deal had been reached, but only that the president held discussions with Congresswoman Pelosi and Senator Schumer in which “ topics included tax reform, border security, DACA, infrastructure, and trade. . . . The administration looks forward to continuing these conversations with leadership on both sides of the aisle.” Additionally, Thursday morning, President Trump tweeted “No deal was made last night on DACA.”

No further details of any plan or negotiation were released by either Democrats or the White House.  The NMM Immigration Blog will continue to cover this issue as it develops.

If you have any questions about this post or other immigration issues, please contact me at wcmenard@nmmlaw.com.