United States President Donald Trump on Saturday outlined his plans in a bid to end the nearly month-long partial government shutdown by offering temporary protections for undocumented migrants in exchange for the funding for his proposed border wall on the US-Mexico border.
In a televised speech from the White House, Trump hinted at extending protections for roughly 700,000 'Dreamers', the children of illegal migrants brought into the US, under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme for three years.
He floated a three-year extension of protections for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders in exchange for $5.7 billion funding for the wall, The Hill reported.
The TPS is a system where people, whose families have been affected by war or disasters are allowed to live and work in the US. Interestingly, Trump has been vocal against the TPS and DACA programmes, asserting that non-Americans were "taking away" potential jobs from Americans.
"Both sides (Republicans and Democrats) in Washington must simply come together, listen to each other, put down their armour, build trust, reach across the aisle, and find solutions," Trump said.
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Defending his decision for building the wall, Trump asserted that there is a "humanitarian and security crisis" on the border with Mexico, adding that a lack of border control provided a "very wide and open gateway" for criminals to enter the US.
"There is a humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border that requires urgent action. Illegal immigration reduces wages and strains public services. The lack of border control provides a gateway, a very wide and open gateway, for criminals and gang members to enter the United States," he elucidated.
Accusing the Democrats of ignoring border security, Trump said that he wanted to "break the logjam" and provide the Congress with a "path forward" to end the shutdown and the crisis on the US-Mexico border.
"I am here to break the logjam and provide Congress with a path forward to end the government shutdown and solve the crisis on our Southern Border. If we are successful in this effort, we will then have the best chance in a very long time at real, bipartisan immigration reform," said Trump, while urging the Democrats to leave aside politics and support him in building the border wall.
Describing his proposals as "straightforward and reasonable," Trump reiterated the Democrats' support for the wall, terming it a "common sense" with "lots of compromise."
The shutdown, that has now entered its 29th day, was triggered on December 22 last year by a lack of consensus between Democratic lawmakers and the US President on the $5.7 billion funding for the wall on the border with Mexico, which was one of Trump's electoral promises.
The ongoing partial government shutdown is the longest in the history of the US.
Roughly a quarter of the government is closed and an estimated 800,000 federal workers have been adversely affected by the lapse in funding, who are either furloughed or working without any pay.
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