Two days after calling for bipartisan unity, President Trump slammed congressional Democrats for “doing nothing” to hatch an immigration deal to help “Dreamers.”
“March 5th is rapidly approaching and the Democrats are doing nothing about DACA. They Resist, Blame, Complain and Obstruct – and do nothing,” Trump tweeted on Thursday morning.
“Start pushing Nancy Pelosi and the Dems to work out a DACA fix, NOW!” he added.
In September, Trump rescinded the Obama executive order that created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects certain immigrants who were brought into the US illegally as children from deportation.
Trump, who has proposed legal residency for the Dreamers, gave Congress six months to come up with a solution.
The White House has said a deal must include a $25 billion “trust fund” for a border wall; a drastic reduction of family reunification — or “chain” migration — and an end to the visa lottery program.
About 800,000 Dreamers are now protected from deportation under the DACA. Another 1 million are likely eligible but have not applied for it.
Both parties could not agree on a government spending measure last month because a DACA fix was not included, resulting in a three-day government shutdown. Lawmakers now face a Feb. 8 spending deadline.
If Congress fails to strike an immigration deal by then, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has vowed to bring DACA legislation to the Senate floor, where it would likely pass with support from Democrats and moderate Republicans.
The president faces resistance from both parties to his deal, according to the Washington Post.
Liberal groups have called his proposal an attempt to use Dreamers as “ransom” for a “white-supremacist” agenda, while hard-line conservatives have denounced his support of “amnesty” for the young immigrants.
On Thursday, Trump also urged voters to send more Republicans to Congress this year.
“Heading to beautiful West Virginia to be with great members of the Republican Party,” he tweeted.
“Will be planning Infrastructure and discussing Immigration and DACA, not easy when we have no support from the Democrats. NOT ONE DEM VOTED FOR OUR TAX CUT BILL! Need more Republicans in ‘18,” he said.
Republicans are in West Virginia for a retreat to discuss their policy agenda for the year. The meeting was delayed after a train carrying the lawmakers collided with a truck, slightly injuring two of the pols.
A passenger in the truck was killed and another was severely wounded.