Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
President Donald Trump

As the United States partial federal shutdown is near its end of one month, President Donald Trump during a White House speech on Saturday, outlined what he called “a common-sense compromise both parties can embrace” which includes protections for several undocumented immigrants and funds for border security.

According to USA Today news reports, Trump is offering to extend temporary protection for people brought to the US illegally as children in a bid to secure border wall funding.

In his White House speech, Trump said, “Both sides in Washington must simply come together,” adding he was trying to “break the logjam”. While defending his plan, Trump said, “Walls are not immoral, in fact, they are the opposite of immoral because they will save many lives.”

Trump cited proposal by Republican lawmakers and administration officials that it would grant work permits to some migrants in exchange for the approval of his proposed US-Mexico border wall.

In an official statement released before Trump’s speech, house speaker Nance Pelosi said,” His proposal is a compilation of several previously rejected initiatives, each of which is unacceptable and in total, do not represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to people’s lives.”

Other Democrats along with Pelosi said the proposal was a non-starter as it does not give any way to citizenship for the qualified migrants.

Key details of Trump’s plan to end shutdown –

After Trump’s speech, the White House released key aspects, both compromises and key money figures of Trump’s plan.

  • $5.7 billion to fund a “steel barrier” in “priority areas” noted by Border Patrol
  • $675 million for increased drug detection technology at ports of entry
  • $130 million for canine units, training, and more personal
  • $800 million in humanitarian assistance
  • $782 million for 2,750 additional border agents
  • $563 million to hire 75 new immigration judges
  • Three years of protection from deportation for certain undocumented immigrants

A senior house democratic aide said Trump’s proposal would not get passed through the Senate or house because “it includes the same wasteful, ineffective $5.7 billion wall demand that shut down the government in the first place”.

After Trump’s speech, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said, “A national emergency is still a tool that’s available to the president,” adding Trump wants to end shutdown through congressional leadership.

Trump said his proposal would provide immigrants work permits and protection from deportation back to the homeland, however, he did not say anything regarding a path to citizenship. Trump said, “This plan solves the immediate crisis.”

In exchange to his new proposal, Trump said he would get funded for a barrier, border wall, only in “high priority locations” and not “a 2,000-mile concrete structure from sea to sea”.

Trump also proposed a new program to allow Central American minors to request asylum in their home countries. Trump said his proposal was designed to end the partial government shutdown that is close to its fourth week.

Trump tweeted a video of his speech where he said, “Let’s get to work and let’s make a deal.”

Trump echoed his claim that he wants to stop illegal border crossings by constructing a border wall at the border. He said, “If we had a wall, we wouldn’t have a problem.”

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