Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Thursday that Democrats and President Trump reached an “understanding” to tie protections for young immigrants to border security, but details still need to be hashed out.
“We all agreed on a framework. Pass DACA protections and additional border security measures, excluding the wall,” Schumer said, referring to the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
He added they still “have to put meat on the bones of the agreement. Details will matter.”
{mosads}Trump said earlier Thursday that they were “very close” to a deal on DACA, which allows undocumented immigrants brought into the country illegally as children to live and work in the United States.
Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s budget director, separately told MSNBC that “we have the making of a deal.”
Schumer said lawmakers also agreed with the president that Trump would back “enshrining the DACA protections into law” and would encourage Congress to pass any deal.
“The president would also encourage the House and the Senate to act. What remains to be negotiated with the details of border security with a mutual goal of finalizing all the details as soon as possible,” Schumer said.
Trump had dinner with Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday night to discuss passing a DACA fix and other fall agenda items.
The White House had initially signaled that the president would want funding for his border wall as part of any deal, but top aides have backed away from that potential sticking point.
Schumer said he expects the president to continue pushing for the border wall, separate from a deal on DACA and border security, and that Democrats will continue to oppose it.
“A wall can be tunneled under. I’m sure those who support the wall have heard of shovels. It’s a medieval solution for a modern problem. A ‘Game of Thrones’ idea for a world that is a lot closer to ‘Star Wars,'” he said.