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Nelson: We'd Give Trump Wall Funding in Comprehensive Immigration Package

June 21, 2018

Sen. Bill Nelson (D., Fla.) said Thursday that Democrats would give President Donald Trump funding for the wall he's long promised to build along the southern border as part of a larger immigration package.

Democrats made the overture before. However, Trump and the Democrats couldn't reach an agreement in this year's budget battle when the White House didn't get its desired wall funding in exchange for protections for "Dreamers," the term for children of illegal immigrants living in the United States.

With immigration again a hot topic after the uproar over the Trump administration enforcing separation of illegal immigrant parents from their children at the border, Nelson told CNN he wanted "comprehensive immigration reform" that included addressing that problem for good.

CNN host Poppy Harlow asked Nelson what he was willing to give in exchange, such as whether he would vote for a bill allocating funding for a wall.

"We already agreed to that back six months ago to solve the DACA problem," Nelson said.

"So you will?" Harlow asked.

"If that were on the table, and the question is how much—that's another issue—if we could solve DACA and we could solve this reunification of families and don't keep children past 20 days, if we could put all of that and solve the Dreamer issue, yes, as we did before six months ago," he said. "We'd give on the wall. But not some outlandish figure."

"How much? They want $25 billion," Harlow said.

"I can't negotiate that with you here, on the air, but you asked what I'd give, and that's what I'd give," Nelson said.

"You wouldn't give $25 billion?" Harlow asked.

"We'll see, Poppy," Nelson said.

Nelson is one of 10 Democrats up for re-election in November in a state Trump won in 2016.