Is there a deal on DACA? Conflicting accounts spur confusion
President Trump scrapped the Obama-era DACA program that protected undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation -- and he gave Congress six months to come up with a replacement.
Amid so much conflicting information about DACA on Thursday, CBS News' Nancy Cordes reported from Capitol Hill and Julianna Goldman from the White House, where Mr. Trump had dinner last night with the two top Democrats in Congress.
The White House was initially vague about Wednesday night's meeting, calling it a "constructive working dinner," Goldman reports.
But Democrats said there was more to it; they insist the president signed off on a policy they've been pushing for years, according to Cordes.
"We had an agreement to move forward," House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi said.
Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said they left that dinner with a framework in hand: Legal protections for "Dreamers," paired with funding for border security measures -- excluding the wall.
"We're not for the wall," Schumer said. "We'll never be for the wall."
At the White House, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders quickly refuted the Democrats' version of events, saying excluding the wall was not agreed to.
Building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border defined Mr. Trump's campaign.
"The wall will come later," he said on Thursday.
Traveling to Florida Thursday, he tried to reassure his base he hadn't given up.
"There was no deal and they didn't say they had a deal," Mr. Trump said.
"There's a lot of sympathy for the 'Dreamers,'" said Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
On the Hill, many Republicans were supportive. But some conservatives accused the president of selling out. North Carolina's Republican Mark Walker tweeted, "If the deal is as Pelosi characterized, it causes more than a pause - more like a screeching halt."
They're nervous about the president's newfound friendship with Democrats like Schumer, who marveled at the détente himself Thursday in a hot mic moment on the Senate floor.
"He likes us! He likes me, anyway," Schumer said.
House Speaker Paul Ryan reminded Cordes that Republicans still control Congress and write the legislation.
"First off, there is no agreement," Ryan said. "It was a discussion, not an agreement or negotiation."
Back on Air Force One, the president said his party supports him, Goldman reports.
"My relationship with Republicans is excellent," Mr. Trump said. "Many of them agree with what I'm doing."
By the time Mr. Trump spoke to reporters for the fourth time, he was back to criticizing the Democrats about the wall.
"If the Democrats aren't going to approve it, then we're not going to do what they want," Mr. Trump said.
"Dreamers" should be encouraged that everyone is talking about this and leaders on both sides, Cordes reports.
But this is a president who promised to be a dealmaker, and he is frustrated with Republicans and he wants to win, says Goldman.
Bottom line, the "Dreamers" should be encouraged that everyone is talking about this and leaders on both sides appear to be interested in doing something quickly, Cordes says.
The question is: how long is it going to take them to draft and agree to the border security side of this package? And will Republican leaders be willing to turn their backs on a small but very vocal group of conservatives who believe that granting these so-called "Dreamers" any kind of legal status, especially citizenship, would amount to amnesty?
This is the second time in a week that the president has promised to work with Democrats. This is a president who promised to be a dealmaker, Goldman says, and so far, he's come up short. He's frustrated with Republicans and he wants a win.
But it's not exactly like he's making nice with Democrats. In addition to his many comments Thursday, he sent out a campaign email saying "liberals in Congress need one reminder that building the wall is non-negotiable."
