President Trump rejected a bipartisan immigration plan on Monday — even before it was formally presented by Sens. John McCain and Chris Coons — as lawmakers struggled to resolve an impasse over how to change the system.
McCain, R-Ariz., and Coons, D-Del., introduced a legislation that would protect hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants. It calls for boosting border security by 2020 but does not include explicit funding for Trump’s proposed border wall or the restrictions on legal immigration that the president wants.
In a tweet, Trump did not mention the senators by name, but called a bill that does not include “STRONG” border security and a wall “a total waste of time.” He claimed that Democrats “seem not to care” about extending legal status for DREAMers ahead of a “rapidly approaching” March 5 deadline when DACA is set to start phasing out.
Democrats and many Republicans want to enshrine legal status for DREAMers, but they have struggled to reach a deal on other changes sought by the GOP. Trump has also proven difficult to pin down on immigration, and senators on both sides of the aisle have been frustrated with the process of striking a deal with him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said talks with Trump are like “negotiating with Jell-O.”
The inability to reach an immigration agreement contributed to the brief government shutdown last month and congress faces another deadline this week. If it cannot pass a spending bill by Thursday, the government will shut down again.
Despite the president’s disapproval, McCain and Coons continue to push their bipartisan immigration deal.
“[The bill] would address the most urgent priorities of protecting Dreamers, strengthening border security, alleviating the backlog in immigration courts, and addressing the root causes of illegal immigration.” McCain said in a statement yesterday.
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