Washington: Seeking to end the federal government shutdown, US President Donald Trump has offered extending protection for people illegally brought to the country as children in exchange for USD 5.7 billion for constructing a wall on the US-Mexico border. The deal was, however, dismissed by the Democrats as a ‘non-starter’.
The President also proposed a slew of measures to increase border security, including an increase in law enforcement and said he was offering a ‘commonsense compromise both parties (Republicans and Democrats) should embrace’.
The divide between the Trump-led Republican Party and the Democratic Party led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the border wall has led to the shutdown, which has rendered 8,00,000 federal government workers without work and crippled key departments. The shutdown – the longest in US history—entered its 29th day, as Trump made the announcements, Saturday.
“Both sides in Washington must simply come together,” Trump said in a White House speech, and added he is trying to ‘break the logjam’.
“It is time to reclaim our future from the extreme voices who fear compromise and demand open borders, which means drugs pouring in, human trafficking and a lot of crime,” Trump stated.
The president said he would give protection for young people brought to the country illegally as children – also known as ‘Dreamers’ – and also extend it to those with temporary protected status after fleeing countries affected by natural disasters or violence.
Trump said he proposes ‘three years of legislative relief for 7,00,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients brought here unlawfully by their parents at a young age many years ago’. This extension will give them access to work permits, social security numbers and protection from deportation, he said.
“Our proposal provides a three-year extension of Temporary Protected Status. This means, 3,00,000 immigrants whose protected status is facing expiration will now have three more years of certainty so that Congress can work on a larger immigration deal, which everybody wants – Republicans and Democrats,” Trump pointed out.
AFP