President Trump is expected to offer a compromise to Democrats Saturday to end the government shutdown by granting protections for some illegal immigrants in return for $5.7 billion in border wall funding.
According to the proposal first reported by Axios, Mr. Trump will support the BRIDGE Act, a bipartisan bill that grants protections from deportation for people who qualified for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and some others with temporary protected status.
The BRIDGE Act would allow those immigrants to remain in the country and receive work authorization for three years after the deal is approved. It would not grant a pathway to citizenship, unlike the Dream Act.
The president will outline his proposal at the White House at 4 p.m.
Such a proposal would be a reversal of Mr. Trump’s position against including DACA in a border-wall deal. He has stated he prefers the courts to sort out the program’s fate; in 2017, Mr. Trump announced plans to phase out DACA.
The Supreme Court took no action Friday on Mr. Trump’s bid to end deportation protections under DACA, suggesting the program may stay in place at least until the end of this year.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, and Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrat, and others introduced the BRIDGE Act in 2017 to allow people who are eligible for or who have received work authorization and temporary relief from deportation under DACA to remain in the U.S.
But even before Mr. Trump made his proposal, Democrats were panning it, saying they hadn’t been consulted and they want the government reopened before they negotiate immigration issues. Mr. Durbin rejected the reported proposal involving the legislation he sponsored.
“I cannot support the proposed offer as reported and do not believe it can pass the Senate,” he said in a statement.
“First, President Trump and Senate Majority Leader McConnell must open the government today. Second, I cannot support the proposed offer as reported and do not believe it can pass the Senate. Third, I am ready to sit down at any time after the government is opened and work to resolve all outstanding issues.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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