McCain Introduces DACA Compromise Only To Be Dismissed By Trump

PHOENIX, AZ – An attempt by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain to help the approximately 800,000 immigrants who were assisted by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is a non-starter as far as President Trump is concerned. The plan by McCain and his Democratic colleague, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, would provide a path to citizenship but does not immediately authorize the tens of billions of dollars the president wants for his border ball.

"Our legislation, which already has broad support in the House of Representatives, would address the most urgent priorities of protecting Dreamers, strengthening border security, alleviating the backlog in immigration courts, and addressing the root causes of illegal immigration," McCain said in a statement.

He continues to recuperate from cancer treatment while at home in Arizona.

"I’m grateful to Senator Coons for his leadership and hope our colleagues will support this effort to resolve the immediate challenges before us."

Instead of authorizing money to start on the wall, the bill would fund a study of border security needs.

That's not enough for the president.

"Any deal on DACA that does not include STRONG border security and the desperately needed WALL is a total waste of time.," he wrote on Twitter.

McCain says that the bill would also lift the caps on defense spending and fully fund the military.

Coons said that the bill "doesn’t solve every immigration issue, but it does address the two most pressing problems we face: protecting DACA recipients and securing the border. I believe there is bipartisan support for both of those things and I believe that we can reach a budget deal that increases funding for our military and important domestic programs.

"We need to find a way through this gridlock to get Congress working again, and this is a viable path forward."

Photo of McCain via Alex Wong/Getty Images News/Getty Images.