Trump Might Let Undocumented Immigrants Stay in US After All

President says he's ready for compromise on immigration reform
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 28, 2017 6:55 PM CST
Trump Says He Might Compromise on Immigration Reform
President Trump says he may be ready to compromise with Democrats on immigration reform.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Through his campaign, President Trump vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants; now he appears maybe ready to give millions of those immigrants a path to legal status. “The time is right for an immigration bill, as long as there is compromise on both sides,” ABC News quotes Trump as saying Tuesday during a luncheon with news anchors. An administration official tells CNN that such immigration reform could include a way for undocumented immigrants to stay in the US and pay taxes as long as they haven't committed serious crimes. It's also possible Trump would allow DREAMers, undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children, to become citizens.

Democratic lawmakers say they're not quite ready to believe Trump until they see details or actions that show the administration is easing off undocumented immigrants. It's a sentiment echoed by immigration advocates. There's been an ongoing difference between what Trump says and what his administration does, the Washington Post reports. A White House spokesperson refused to confirm anything Trump said during Tuesday's luncheon. And Trump recently said he might revisit past attempts at immigration reform, including a failed 2013 bill opposed by Republicans, only to have the White House later deny it. It's unclear if Trump will address immigration reform during his speech to Congress Tuesday night. (More immigration reform stories.)

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