President Donald Trump says he's "officially" inviting Democratic leaders to the White House to discuss immigration legislation.
Speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting, Trump says he was making the open invitation through the press to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California).
Trump says: "We should be able to do a bill. I'd invite them to come to the White House any time they want. This afternoon would be good. After the Cabinet meeting would be good."
Trump is blaming Democrats for obstructing immigration legislation, saying, "We need two to tango." A Republican-led effort in the House to address legal status for young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally and to fund Trump's border wall is teetering on the edge of collapse.
Trump says: "I just told you I'll invite Sen. Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. They can come over. They can bring whoever they want."
It wasn't immediately clear whether Democrats had been formally invited or if they were planning to accept.
Trump defended his Wednesday executive order to end new family separations at the border, but says Congress needs to act to permanently fix the problem.
"I signed a very good executive order," he said.
But he says the "only real solution" is for Congress to close loopholes in the immigration system, saying "If we don't close these loopholes there is no amount of money or personnel in the world."
As congressional Republicans look to pass sweeping immigration bills Thursday, Trump says Democrats are obstructionists and is accusing them of not caring about the children separated from their parents.
This spring, the Trump administration put in a place a zero-tolerance policy on illegal border crossings, resulting in children separated from families at the border.
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