President Donald Trump meets with, from left, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other Congressional leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
September 07, 2017 - 8:50 AM
WASHINGTON - The Latest on Congress and DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (all times local):
11:45 p.m.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump supports and would sign into law legislation that offers a path to legalization for immigrants brought to the country as children and living here illegally.
The California Democrat told journalists that Trump signalled his backing in a White House meeting with congressional leaders on Wednesday and in conversation with her Thursday.
Pelosi says: "Obviously it has to be bipartisan; the president said he supports that, he would sign it, but we have to get it passed and that's a high priority."
Trump is ending the Obama-era program that gave nearly 800,000 immigrants temporary work permits and deportation protections. He gave Congress six months to come up with an alternative.
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10:33 a.m.
It turns out President Donald Trump sent his reassuring tweet about so-called "Dreamers" at the urging of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.
Pelosi revealed the news to fellow Democratic House members at a meeting Thursday morning. She says she spoke to Trump by phone and asked him to tweet to make clear that "Dreamers" wouldn't be subject to deportation during the six months Trump has given Congress to find a solution for them.
That's according to a Democratic aide who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.
At issue is Trump's plan to dismantle protections for younger immigrants who were brought illegally to the country as kids.
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10:16 a.m.
President Donald Trump is trying to reassure the hundreds of thousands of immigrants in a program his administration announced it is ending.
"For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about - No action!" he tweeted.
He is referring to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which President Barack Obama created by executive order in 2012. Trump's administration said Tuesday it is rescinding the program but is giving Congress six months to take action on it.
Trump is navigating politically tricky waters. Portions of his Republican voters wanting a hard line on illegal immigration. Yet others in his administration and a majority of Americans support protected status for children brought to the country illegally by their parents.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017