Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., took swipes at the White House and members of Congress for the chaos surrounding the effort by President Trump and lawmakers to hammer out an immigration deal.
“What I would like to do is ask the Congress to stop the s-show and grow up,” Graham said on the Senate floor Wednesday evening. “Act consistent with the greatness of this country and find a way to work together.”
Graham then told the White House it must determine its stance on immigration because “I can’t read your mind” and urge Trump to be a “reliable partner” when working on an immigration deal.
“So to the president, what I saw Tuesday was a man that understood what America was all about. ... What I find today is complete chaos,” he said.
Graham has worked alongside a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., that has created a deal concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and border security. Trump, however, deemed the agreement “horrible” for border security and called it “very, very weak.”
Just last week, Trump indicated he would be open to sign whatever Congress put forth and said he wanted a DACA deal to be a “bill of love” during a meeting where Graham was present.
In the same meeting, Trump reportedly asked why the U.S. is “having all these people from shithole countries come here” as the lawmakers discussed immigration from African nations and asked why the U.S. did not have more immigrants from countries such as Norway.
Graham, who was one of the lawmakers at the meeting and has defied Trump's denials about using the "shithole" phrase, appeared to take a jab at Trump’s comments and said he wanted people from many different parts of the world.
“I want to do a deal and deal with the reality that these people are here and have been here working for a long time and America always needs good people, not just from Norway but from all over the world,” he said.
Despite pushback from the White House, Graham on Wednesday touted the “growing momentum” among Republican senators for his bipartisan immigration plan.
Those who have expressed that they would support a deal that protects young immigrants covered by DACA include Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; and Mike Rounds, R-S.D, according to a press release from Graham’s office, joining Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Corey Gardner, R-Colo.
Not all Republicans are on board, however. Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Tom Cotton, R- Ark.; and David Perdue, R-Ga., released a statement Wednesday delineating some concerns about the bipartisan immigration proposal.
Members of Congress are trying to agree on a deal that would protect DACA recipients. The program is set to expire on March 5.
