President Donald Trump excoriated congressional Democrats on Friday, accusing them of abandoning young people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“Cannot believe how BADLY DACA recipients have been treated by the Democrats...totally abandoned!” Trump tweeted. “Republicans are still working hard.”
Yet, the reason that Congress is trying to come up with an immigration bill is because Trump suspended DACA in September, putting at risk deportation relief for 700,000 undocumented people who were brought to the U.S. as children.
Trump later professed his love for the so-called Dreamers, and expressed a desire to allow them to remain in the U.S. ― with a few caveats. He demanded that any protections for Dreamers come with funding for a border wall, the suspension of the visa lottery program, and an end to what he calls chain migration.
The government shut down last month because lawmakers failed to find common ground on immigration.
And, as the March 5 deadline looms for finding a legal pathway for Dreamers, the Senate failed Thursday to approve a proposal for an updated immigration bill.
Trump has said he’s unwilling to negotiate his demands, so it’s unclear what happens next.