Democrat senator criticizes Pelosi for saying new immigration plan would ‘make America white again’

Senator Joe Manchin, (D-W.Va.) said Sunday a new White House immigration plan is a good starting point. Then he criticized House Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for calling the proposal a way to “make America white again.”

“We don’t need that type of rhetoric on either side, from Nancy, [Republican House Speaker] Paul Ryan or anybody else,” Manchin said, who leads bipartisan Senate group working on immigration. He made the comment on CNN’s “State of the Union."

Lawmakers face a Feb. 8 deadline to pass another spending plan and reach an immigration agreement concerning up to 1.8 million illegal immigrants also known as “Dreamers.” On Thursday, senior White House officials outlined a plan that would offer Dreamers a path to citizenship, Reuters news reported. The White House plan also scales back some legal immigration programs and provides a border wall with Mexico.

White House leaders called it a major concession to Democrats, but some of the party's leaders were not appeased.

Pelosi called it a way to “make America white again,” playing on the Trump slogan “make American great again.”

What are the committee's plans?

On NBC’s “Meet the Press” program Sunday, Manchin said the bipartisan immigration group is meeting Monday to review the White House immigration plan.

“I think we can find a pathway forward; I really do,” Manchin told NBC.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is also on the immigration committee. She told told CBS’ “Face the Nation" Sunday that the group is seeking to influence a proposal being compiled by the Senate’s two whips, Republican John Cornyn (Texas) and Democrat Dick Durbin (Ill.).

“If [Cornyn and Durbin] agree, I have a feeling that that will be a bill that can go all the way to the president’s desk, and that’s our goal,” Collins said.