President Donald Trump is proposing a path to citizenship for an estimated 1.8 million young undocumented immigrants in exchange for hard-line steps to increase border security and curb legal immigration, a trade-off swiftly opposed by key Democrats.
Trump's support for "dreamers" who have been in the country illegally since they were children represents a significant concession to Democrats and was intended as a compromise to help break the impasse over immigration in Congress, White House aides said Thursday.
The plan offers a citizenship path to more than twice as many dreamers as were enrolled in a deferred action program Trump terminated in September, a move that is likely to engender fierce blowback among some conservatives, especially in the House.
But in a sign of how fraught chances of an immigration deal remain, the proposal was met with disdain from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as well as members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
In addition to the citizenship path that would take up to 12 years, the White House framework includes a $25 billion "trust fund" for a border wall and additional security upgrades on the southwestern and northern U.S. borders. And the president is proposing terminating the ability of U.S. citizens to petition for permanent legal residency "green cards" for parents and siblings, limiting the family visas to spouses and minor children.
Trump's support for "dreamers" who have been in the country illegally since they were children represents a significant concession to Democrats and was intended as a compromise to help break the impasse over immigration in Congress, White House aides said Thursday.
The plan offers a citizenship path to more than twice as many dreamers as were enrolled in a deferred action program Trump terminated in September, a move that is likely to engender fierce blowback among some conservatives, especially in the House.
But in a sign of how fraught chances of an immigration deal remain, the proposal was met with disdain from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as well as members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
In addition to the citizenship path that would take up to 12 years, the White House framework includes a $25 billion "trust fund" for a border wall and additional security upgrades on the southwestern and northern U.S. borders. And the president is proposing terminating the ability of U.S. citizens to petition for permanent legal residency "green cards" for parents and siblings, limiting the family visas to spouses and minor children.
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