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Trump Says No DACA Deal Without A Border Wall

In a tweet Friday, the president said a DACA deal won't happen without the "desperately needed wall at the southern border," among other stipulations.
Posted at 2:41 PM, Dec 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-29 14:41:43-05

If Democrats want to protect the young, undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, then President Donald Trump says he wants the border wall. But that's not all.

In a tweet Friday, Trump said any deal to extend protection for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, won't happen without the "desperately needed wall at the southern border." He also said the country must end what he called "chain migration" and the immigration lottery system.

Democrats have fought for a DACA solution pretty much since the Trump administration said in September it would rescind the program. Right now, Congress has until March 5 to figure something out.

Spokespeople for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi released identical statements saying, "We're not going to negotiate through the press and look forward to a serious negotiation at Wednesday’s meeting when we come back."

They, along with House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are set to meet with White House chief of staff John Kelly on Wednesday to discuss DACA and other issues.