Trump Assures Border Wall Foes He Won't Link That to DACA Fix

WASHINGTON -- President Trump assured lawmakers on Wednesday that he's open to cutting a deal that protects nearly 800,000 young immigrants from deportation without linking that to his demands for a controversial border wall."He's not dropping the wall but he was not like darn it, we need to have it," said Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, after a meeting with Trump at the White House on Wednesday afternoon with a dozen other House members from both parties. "He was a little softer on that position."Critics of the wall -- and there are many in both parties -- have been troubled at the potential for a standoff if Trump were to dig in on the proposal in exchange for supporting a long-term fix on "dreamers."Eight days earlier, the president scrapped the Obama-era policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. He gave Congress six months to act before the nearly 800,000 young immigrants become eligible for deportation. DACA recipients receive work permits after a screening process to ensure they have no criminal record, and arrived before age 16.Sympathy for these immigrants is widespread, and Trump has encouraged Congress to codify protections for them, though he hasn't said whether he wants or would accept a path to citizenship.  Continue reading...