Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Mich., vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Friday there would be "problems" for Democrats who didn't support "clean" legislation for the Dream Act, The Hill reported.
"If you are a Democrat who doesn't like a clean Dream Act, we're going to have some problems. And don't count on me to protect you. You're on your own with that," Ellison told Democrats in Pennsylvania via video reportedly obtained by the Republican National Committee.
"That's right, a clean Dream Act," Ellison continued. "And there cannot be one single politician in the state of Pennsylvania who is in a state of confusion about how you feel. We're going to make it perfectly clear to all of them on a repeated basis. And yes, we have a litmus test."
President Donald Trump last year announced he would end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in March and urged Congress to find solutions to immigration issues.
A "clean" Dream Act would create a pathway to citizenship without using young immigrants, referred to as "Dreamers," as bargaining chips. It also means no funding for a wall or for increased security along the southern U.S. border, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
It also would mean no funding for interior enforcement or additional detention centers and would not require mandatory participation in the federal government's employment eligibility verification E-Verify program.
Trump said Tuesday he wanted a "bill of love" to address the issue and a bipartisan group of senators indicated this week they had reached a deal for Dreamers. However, reports on Thursday indicated Trump was not ready to sign the bill.