President Trump said Tuesday that Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., will soon introduce legislation to reform the current immigration system and protect young undocumented immigrants, and called on the House Judiciary Committee chairman to ensure it’s a “bill of love.”
“We have something in common – we’d like to see this get done,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday, during a meeting with Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the future of so-called Dreamers and the opportunity of bipartisan immigration legislation.
The president’s claim comes amid a push by the White House for bipartisan congressional leaders to devise legislation that offers a permanent fix for beneficiaries of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but also includes measures to boost border security.
“I really do believe Democrat and Republican, the people sitting in this room, really want to get something done,” Trump said. “I hope we’re going to come up with an answer for DACA.”
The DACA program, which currently shields and estimated 800,000 illegal immigrants from deportation, is due to expire on March 5.
“Lives are hanging in the balance,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said at the meeting on Tuesday.
Durbin added, however, that lawmakers “have got the time” to devise a solution that can make it all the way to the president’s desk.
