US President Donald Trump today alleged that the opposition Democrats are blocking a deal on immigration and that their rigid stand shows they do not want to help the beneficiaries of the DACA policy.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme created by President Barack Obama prevents deportation of people who arrived in the US as minor.
The policy was rescinded by Trump in September but has given the Congress to come out with a policy in six months' time on the fate of some 800,000 individuals, many of whom are Indian or South Asian descent.
Trump wants these people to stay in the US. But he has said that he would not enter into a deal with the Democrats on this until they agree to fund for a wall across the Mexico border to prevent illegal immigrants and flow of illicit drugs.
The Democrats do not agree with his proposal.
"We are ready willing and able to make a deal on DACA, but I don't think the Democrats want to make a deal. The folks from DACA should know the Democrats are the ones that aren't going to make a deal," Trump told reporters in Florida when entering Trump International Golf Course for a dinner with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Responding to a series of questions, Trump said "honestly" Democrats do not want to make a deal.
"I think they talk about DACA, but they don't want to help the DACA people, the DACA children," he said.
Trump acknowledged that there are a lot of sticking points on the current negotiations on immigration.
But they are all Democrat sticking points, he alleged.
"Because we are ready willing and able to make a deal, but they don't want to. They don't want security at the border, there are people pouring in. They don't want security at the border, they don't want to stop the drugs.
"And they want to take money away from our military which we will not do," Trump said.
The US President is spending this long-weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
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