Pelosi: DREAMers ‘Are Really a Blessing to Our Country; Thank Your Parents for Bringing You Here’

The House Minority Leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said the children of illegal immigrants should thank their parents for bringing them to America.

Pelosi says she will continue to insist on the inclusion of a measure protecting their status in America -- otherwise known as Deferred Action Against Childhood Arrivals (or DACA) -- as part of any House-passed budget.

"Let me just say about our — our DREAMers, they are really a blessing to our country," Pelosi said. "I’ve said to them — last two days, I’ve had six meetings relating to DREAMers and I said to them, do me a favor; thank your parents for bringing you here because you’re such an inspiration to our country. They are so great."

The comments came during her weekly press conference today. Here's a transcript:

REPORTER: “... immigration and sort of your negotiating stance between now and December. The speaker was out here a little while ago denying reports that he had told some of his colleagues that the spending bill will include some solution to DACA for certain but conversations are continuing. What is your updated sense of where that issue stands and what your potential leverage points are going into that by?”

PELOSI: “Well, I — I didn’t realize the speaker backed off that statement because people were taking some comfort in the fact that something would happen before the end of the year. Let me just say about our — our DREAMers. They are really a blessing to our country. I’ve said to them — last two days, I’ve had six meetings relating to DREAMers and I said to them, do me a favor; thank your parents for bringing you here because you’re such an inspiration to our country. They are so great, and the American people recognize that over 80 percent want them to stay, high numbers want them to stay on a path to citizenship. I think President Trump is inclined to be supportive. He said he is, I take him at his word. And that because the American people support the DREAMers. Not because we were so persuasive but because the American people support the DREAMers. So I’m optimistic that we’ll celebrate, hopefully Thanksgiving, but more likely Christmas with the DREAM Act passed.”