Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said Sunday that Democrats are operating under the assumption that President Trump backs a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Both Trump and his legislative director Marc Short said last week that the White House isn’t considering a path to citizenship, however, Democrats insist Trump does.
Sen. Durbin said on “Fox News Sunday” that there was a “basic understanding” made between Trump and Democratic Congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi after a dinner last Wednesday.
“I do believe there is an understanding that down the road there is an eventual path to citizenship,” Pelosi said at a Thursday press briefing.
Durbin said that there was push back from the right following the dinner, but that Democrats are “going forward with the understanding that we can work with the White House to come up with an agreement that includes [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)], that includes citizenship for those who are protected under the Dream Act, and also has a substantial commitment to increased order protection.”
The Senate version of the Dream Act could put nearly 1.8 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.
President Trump campaigned against amnesty, but in recent weeks has asked Congress to protect the roughly 800,000 illegal immigrants protected by DACA.