The Democratic Party leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has defended her efforts to work on protecting young undocumented immigrants in collaboration with President Donald Trump, saying she will trust him on the issue and that a further joint effort, on infrastructure in the US, could also be on the cards.
On Sunday, Pelosi told the NBC program, Meet the Press, that she trusts Trump on the framework deal begun earlier in September, which aims to protect young undocumented immigrants from the threat of deportation, but which was criticized by many of her supporters. Pelosi agreed to the deal during a dinner at the White House. Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, was also present.
The deal would see the bipartisan Dream Act bypassed by Congress and enshrine the protections for tens of thousands of so-called Dreamers into law. Those immigrants were previously protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, created by executive action five years ago by then President Barack Obama. It was ended by President Donald Trump earlier this month.
Pelosi says she believes that the President will keep his promise about the act, including a pathway to US citizenship for those eligible. She also acknowledged concerns that Trump may try to include funding for the much-discussed wall on the border between the US and Mexico in the measure. Pelosi says that Congressional Democrats will work on “one issue at a time” with Trump, suggesting the country’s aging infrastructure could be next.