Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that all GOP senators support keeping families together at the border and that Republicans would reach out to…
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that all GOP senators support keeping families together at the border and that Republicans would reach out to Democrats to try to reach a deal, NBC News reported.
The news came as Republicans on Capitol Hill frantically searched for ways to end the Trump administration’s policy of separating families after illegal border crossings, with the focus shifting to a new plan to keep children in detention longer than now permitted — but with their parents.
House GOP leaders are revising their legislation amid a public outcry over the administration’s “zero tolerance” approach to illegal crossings. The change would loosen rules that now limit the amount of time minors can be held to 20 days, according to a GOP source familiar with the measure. Instead, the children could be detained for extended periods — alongside their parents.
House Republicans scrambled to update their approach ahead of a visit from President Trump to discuss a broader immigration overhaul that is to be voted on this week. Trump called for Congress to approve the so-called third option Tuesday.
“We want to solve this problem,” he said.
All 49 Senate Democrats have already signed on to a deal that would end the separations — and it’s unclear if McConnell was looking at that measure or something different.
With Post wires
