SAN ANTONIO – Conflicting messages from congressional minority leaders and President Donald Trump after a bipartisan meeting Wednesday at the White House have left Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients confused and uncertain.
“Just like I have (had) for the past five years, anxiety,” said Seven Flores, who has been shielded from deportation since 2013 under DACA. “It’s difficult to know what’s going to happen.”
“We have reached an understanding on this issue,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, after the White House meeting.
Hours earlier, in another bipartisan meeting with the president, Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, of the 28th District of Texas, said they were told, “The president wants to do DACA, doesn’t want to wait six months.”
“No deal was made last night on DACA,” the president tweeted Thursday. Yet in another tweet, he said: “Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, serving in the military? Really!”
Flores said, after following the back-and-forth, “Even if Trump tells us that he’s 100 percent with us, we know it’s not really up to him.”
The president gave Congress six months to resolve the issue.
In a statement, Republican Rep. Will Hurd, of the 23rd District of Texas, said:
"I’m hopeful that once we cut through the noise, we can come up with a permanent legislative solution for the children who were brought here through no fault of their own. Like I’ve said before, I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Administration, to create a permanent, legislative solution that allows people who have only known America as their home, to stay and continue contributing to our Nation's culture, economy and history. I’m encouraged that we seem to all be in agreement, and look forward to evaluating policy proposals that fix our broken immigration system and keep Americans safe."
Although Trump has said border security should be part of any deal, Cuellar said he told them, "'The wall would come later.’ So he did not link the wall to DACA.”
Still, the border wall could become a sticking point, along with a path to citizenship.
Democratic Sen. Nancy Pelosi, of California, said she thought after the meeting that the president supported the DREAM Act, which calls for a path to citizenship. Yet, on Thursday, the president said, “No amnesty.”
Flores said he tells other DACA recipients, “We’re going to keep fighting regardless what they tell us because we know actions speak louder than words.”
Read Cuellar's full statement below:
“I and a bi-partisan group of fellow lawmakers sat down with the President to discuss the Fall agenda this afternoon. During the meeting the President reassured me that he does not want to wait six months for Congress to come up with a solution for our nation’s young immigrants and that he is committed to supporting legislation on the House floor for DACA recipients. He then went as far as to say that there will be a floor vote on DACA legislation.
“I hope the President is true to this word. These young people have committed no crimes for which they are responsible and have fully complied with all the requirements that our government has placed upon them. The vast majority of DACA recipients are outstanding members of our community that pay taxes and contribute greatly to our nation. Making sure we have the proper legislation, that is not bogged down with partisan extraneous proposals, ready to pass both chambers is one of my top priorities. I encourage my colleagues to do what’s right for these young people who are Americans and who have only known the United States to be their home.”
