Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that the administration could support a bipartisan compromise on immigration reform in the future as long as President Trump’s priorities are implemented successfully.
“He laid out a very clear agenda on ending illegal immigration, he talked about building a wall, he talked about border security, he talked about our efforts already at enhanced internal enforcement, more border agents,” Pence said on the “Laura Ingraham Show” radio program of Trump’s speech on Tuesday to a joint session of Congress.
“After all of that’s done, I think his phrase was, ‘we’ll see,'” Pence added.
The president stoked speculation on Tuesday by telling network anchors during a closed-door lunch that he was open to supporting a compromise immigration bill and hinting that he might unveil that support during his highly-anticipated speech later that evening.
Trump ultimately did not lay out the kind of compromise reforms that have gained traction in the past, instead focusing on the need for a system of legal immigration that relies more heavily on merit.
But the reports of his softening stance have raised fresh questions about how Republicans will approach immigration-related questions that stretch beyond Trump’s immediate call for stricter enforcement for undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
The president suggested last month that he will strive for a compromise on one executive action signed by his predecessor — which he previously vowed to repeal — that extended legal protections to children brought to the U.S. illegally. However, the White House has not yet indicated what Trump has planned for the future of that policy.
Pence declined on Wednesday to confirm whether or why Trump had postponed the signing of an executive order meant to replace the administration’s previous attempt to suspend travel from seven Middle Eastern countries. A court challenge temporarily halted the implementation of the original order, which Trump’s Democratic opponents have labeled a “Muslim ban.”
“I don’t know if it’s a delay,” Pence said of reports that the signing of the new order had been pushed back.
“The president and the administration believe that the first executive order was fully within his authority,” Pence added. “That being said, the president has directed the team to look at the 9th Circuit decision…and at least advance another executive order that will put into place the kind of things that are not in dispute and are not the subject of legal controversy.”
