In a recent Meet the Press interview, President-elect Donald Trump claimed he’s open to working with Democrats on legislation that could keep DREAMers — undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children — in the country. His own track record, however, casts doubt on just how serious this commitment is.

“I want to be able to work something out,” Trump said during an exchange with NBC News’s Kristen Welker, when pressed on if he wanted DREAMers to stay in the US.

The Biden administration is again trying to shore up the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program against ongoing legal challenges that threaten to revoke protections for thousands of immigrants.

For Dreamers, 2021 was the year that promised some permanent relief from their fragile immigration status—but failed to deliver. President Biden can ensure 2022 is different.

Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday introduced a bill that seeks to provide a pathway to citizenship for the country's 200,000 "Documented Dreamers."

Why it matters: Documented Dreamers are children of long-term visa holders who often wait years for a green card and face deportation if they don't receive legal immigration status after turning 21, when they lose dependent status.

The House passed a major immigration reform bill on Thursday, securing the first step in President Joe Biden’s plan to grant a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people.

But the bill, along with a second set for passage later Thursday, is likely to stall out in the Senate, which Democrats control with a 50-50 party split ― making the chances for immigration reform unlikely given heavy Republican opposition.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is due to vote on two immigration bills that would provide a path to citizenship for millions living illegally in the United States, including farmworkers and younger immigrants known as “Dreamers.”

The bills are an effort to take targeted steps forward while congressional leaders discuss President Joe Biden’s comprehensive immigration plan, and initial procedural steps could come as early as Tuesday. Republicans are shifting their focus to attacking Biden over a new surge of arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Supreme Court has narrowly blocked the Trump administration’s bid to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Obama-era policy protects hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and allows them to work legally.

The notion that a Democratic president should be able to unilaterally implement a policy like DACA but that it should be unlawful for a Republican president to undo the same policy in the same way really reflects the contemporary progressive view of American governance. Democrats these days seem to believe the use of power is justified by the strength of intentions and outcomes. Process is an afterthought.