Washington Some senators felt a twinge of déjà vu when President-elect Donald Trump stated on NBC News Meet the Press that he was interested in reaching an agreement with Democrats to safeguard Dreamers who were brought to the country at a young age.
The Dreamers are individuals who were brought here at a very young age, so we must take action. And a large number of these individuals are now middle-aged. Trump said to anchor Kristen Welker, “They don’t even speak the language of their country.” I’ll come up with a plan with the Democrats.
Leading Senate Republicans expressed pessimism about the chances of a compromise when questioned about Trump’s comments, but they did not rule it out.
We shall see. We have repeatedly failed to find the ideal immigration reform solution. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., stated, “I’m definitely open to what we can do if there is a bipartisan willingness to take on that issue.” Long-term, it would be preferable if we could find some legislative solutions, but in the past several administrations, executive action has been used for everything. Therefore, something will be needed to break the impasse.
More specifically, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is on the Judiciary Committee and has previously taken part in immigration talks, stated that Trump would need to put in effort to break that impasse.
Cornyn told NBC News, “I take him seriously, but he’s going to have to put his shoulder to the wheel to get it done.”
After all, Trump’s conduct during his first term contradicted his same rhetoric. He attempted to terminate the DACA program, which shielded undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors from deportation, while he was president in 2017. And in 2018, when Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., negotiated a bipartisan agreement to grant Dreamers legal status in exchange for Trump funding for his border wall, Trump’s White House was able to thwart the agreement since it failed to limit family-based immigration as well.
A route to citizenship for Dreamers is seen by many Republicans as amnesty. However, the Dreamers continue to be a popular group in a nation that has moved to the right on immigration.
Cornyn pointed out that border security and enforcement, which Republicans are planning to fund in a large party-line bill early next year, would take precedence over any such bipartisan agreement.
Cornyn remarked, “I did realize that this would have to wait until we address the ongoing bleeding at the border.”I believe he can likely do it if he is dedicated to it.
Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois and the Senate Judiciary Chair, who introduced the first Dream Act in 2001, said he was paying close attention to Trump’s remarks on the subject on Sunday and welcomed discussions.
My ears pricked up. “I’m ready after 23 years,” he declared. Anytime, wherever, let’s take a seat.
However, Durbin noted, there is cause for skepticism, if not outright cynicism. In order to resolve the DACA issue, President-elect Trump rejected four separate bipartisan agreements with Democrats during his previous term. At one time, Democrats offered to pay billions of dollars for President Trump’s unpopular border wall in exchange for a bipartisan Dream Act, but we were unable to come to a consensus. When it comes to immigration, President Trump has the power to win over a lot of Republicans.
Durbin pointed out that Trump has plans to implement the mass deportation of all illegal immigrants that he advocated during the 2024 campaign. Trump has also advocated for the repeal of birthright citizenship, but if he does so, he may encounter constitutional challenges. During his campaign last year, Trump successfully sabotaged a bipartisan agreement to strengthen border security.
Trump is bluffing about Dreamers, according to Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii.
He has never helped Dreamers in any way. He declared that he would never do anything for Dreamers. We just must not fall for this bait.
However, without a clear plan to handle their immigration status, some conservatives are voicing broad support for that group.
According to Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., I am in favor of Dreamers.
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, stated that he would be open to engaging in a reasonable conversation with Democrats over immigration, but he did not seem to be hopeful that it would result in any significant progress.
When you get right down to it, the Democratic stance is essentially: Open the border. Additionally, grant amnesty to those who have already entered the country illegally. Kennedy, a member of the Judiciary Committee that is in charge of immigration policy, stated in an interview that he does not find it appropriate.
Kennedy used a well-known tactic used by former President Bill Clinton when asked if safeguarding Dreamers equates to amnesty.
According to Kennedy, it depends on how “isis” is defined.
Kennedy said, “I don’t know, I gotta talk to President Clinton,” when asked what he meant by “isis” in relation to amnesty.
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