Washington: US President Donald Trump has launched a new plan to end a government shutdown, which has been ongoing for nearly a month, by offering protection from deportations for some undocumented immigrants in exchange for $5.7 billion for constructing a wall on the US-Mexico border. The Democrats, however, rejected the deal as a “non-starter” and called on Trump to open the government before negotiations on immigration could start. Trump, who made his offer in a televised speech from the White House, offered he would give protection from deportation for young people brought to the country illegally as children, aka ‘Dreamers’, and also extend it to those with temporary protected status after fleeing countries affected by natural disasters or violence. The President also called for $800 million in “urgent humanitarian assistance” and $805 million for drug detection technology to help secure US ports of entry.
Trump also proposed a slew of measures to increase border security, including an increase in law enforcement, saying he was offering a “commonsense compromise both parties (Republicans and Democrats) should embrace.” The President said these concessions would “build the trust and goodwill necessary to begin real immigration reform.” The divide between the Trump-led Republican Party and the Democratic Party led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the border wall led to the partial shutdown, which has rendered 800,000 federal government workers without work and crippled key departments. The shutdown, the longest in the US history, entered its 29th day, as Trump on Saturday made the announcements. “Both sides in Washington must simply come together,” Trump said in a White House speech, adding he is trying to “break the logjam”. Meanwhile, President Trump used music and pageantry to welcome “the five newest members of our great American family” during a naturalisation ceremony in the Oval Office.
