White House Hedges as Trump’s Immigration Comment Stirs Turmoil

The White House backtracked after President Donald Trump threw House Republican efforts to pass an immigration bill into confusion by saying he wouldn’t sign a compromise they reached after weeks of talks.

The president was talking about a separate petition effort to force votes on immigration when he made his comment early Friday in a television interview, White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement.

After stirring confusion, Trump plans to speak with House Republicans on immigration. The meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, was confirmed by two House Republican aides who requested anonymity ahead of a formal announcement, according to the Washington Post.

Trump had told House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier in the week that he’d back the compromise plan, one of two proposals the House is preparing to vote on next week under pressure from moderates facing potentially tough races in the November congressional elections.

The compromise measure would, among other things, end the Trump administration’s controversial policy of separating immigrant children from parents when they illegally cross the U.S. border. The other, sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, would impose more hardline limits on immigration.
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