BY NBC NEWS
Leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met with the White House on Saturday.
The Democratic members had been hoping to have this meeting for weeks, as they were growing more and more worried that the administration would accept an immigration package they would not approve.
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with senators and leaders of the caucus on Zoom on Saturday afternoon, according to two individuals familiar with the proceedings.
What Democrats are willing to accept on border controls in exchange for Republicans’ backing to pass funding for Israel and Ukraine—which remains President Joe Biden’s top priority—is at stake.
The White House informed the members of the CHC that an agreement is still far off and that no framework has been established. Before the White House finalized the negotiations, Zients and Mayorkas gave the CHC the assurance that it could provide input.
The White House didn’t seem to be paying attention to the CHC members’ worries, which has led to an increase in their displeasure in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the caucus had called for an “urgent” meeting with the White House.
According to two people familiar with the meeting, Democratic senators in the CHC met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at least twice last month and stated their belief that Republicans were not engaging in sincere negotiations.
According to a source present at the meeting, they expressed their displeasure with the policies and the communication around the border agreement during the meeting on Saturday. They expressed their opinion that the White House took too long to offer the group a meeting, delaying it until the administration was closer to enacting policies they would not back.the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Top Biden aides prioritized communication with lawmakers directly involved in the negotiations, such as Schumer and Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and started to expand their outreach this past week, a senior administration official previously told NBC News.
For this article, the White House declined to comment.the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
In order to continue working toward a border agreement, Senate negotiators convened on Saturday. Their objective is to have a framework in place by Monday.
However, two people with knowledge of the discussions claim that Democrats and Republicans are still at odds over three major issues: limiting the president’s authority to temporarily admit refugees under humanitarian parole, requiring the detention of migrants while their claims are being decided, and extending the president’s nationwide authority to expel migrants.the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
The deportation plan this past week incensed immigration advocates, who likened it to Title 42, the COVID-era public health decree put in place by previous President Donald Trump that facilitated the United States’ ability to expel immigrants. The most recent proposal was dubbed “Title 42 on steroids” by the pro-immigration organization FWD.us.the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
The Democratic-controlled Senate has postponed its holiday break and will reconvene on Monday in an attempt to finalize a compromise. The Democrats have demonstrated a greater interest in swiftly adopting the larger relief package. But as of Thursday, the House has departed, with no intention of returning until the new year.the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
