Donald Trump offers immigration deal to end shutdown but still wants wall money

US President Donald Trump proposed an immigration deal on Saturday in a bid to end a 29-day partial government shutdown, after House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats had already said they rejected the plan.

Trump stuck to his demand that US$5.7 billion for this year to fund a US-Mexico border wall be part of any bill to fully reopen the government, an ultimatum Democrats oppose. But the president had hoped that offering new protections for some undocumented immigrants could end a month long impasse with Congress.

In a speech from the White House, Trump offered to extend support for legislation to protect young undocumented immigrants, known as “Dreamers,” as well as holders of temporary protected status (TPS).

Describing a US immigration system that he called “badly broken,” Trump said, “I am here today to break the logjam and provide Congress with a path forward to end the government shutdown and solve the crisis along the southern border.”

He said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would seek quick passage of his proposal.

Shortly before he spoke, Pelosi, the top US Democrat, in a statement said the offer was “unacceptable” and did not “represent a good-faith effort to restore certainty to people’s lives.” She said the president’s offer was unlikely to gain the votes needed to pass the House or Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s proposal was simply “more hostage taking.”

In a statement after Trump’s speech, McConnell called the plan a “bold solution to reopen the government, secure the border, and take bipartisan steps toward addressing current immigration issues.”

About one-quarter of US government programs have been partially shut down due to a lack of funding as the president has held out for the US$5.7 billion he wants just for this year to build a wall on the southwestern US border to keep out illegal immigrants and drugs.

That partial shutdown has meant that 800,000 federal workers were either furloughed or working without pay since December 22.

Earlier on Saturday, Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said he could not support such an offer. “First, President Trump and Senate majority leader McConnell must open the government today,” Durbin said in a statement.

“Second, I cannot support the proposed offer as reported and do not believe it can pass the Senate. Third, I am ready to sit down at any time after the government is opened and work to resolve all outstanding issues,” Durbin said.

Trump is under pressure to end the shutdown with Americans increasingly blaming him for refusing to sign spending bills that would provide paychecks for the federal workers who have been idled or working without pay for nearly a month, the longest government shutdown in US history.

The “Dreamers,” who are mostly Latin American, are protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program protects certain people who illegally entered the country as children, providing about 700,000 immigrants with work permits, but no path to citizenship.

Former Democratic President Barack Obama put DACA in place in 2012 through an executive order. The Trump administration announced in September 2017 it would rescind DACA, but the policy remains in effect under a court order.

Temporary protected status is given to nationals from designated countries affected by armed conflict or natural disaster. TPS holders are permitted to work and live in the US for limited times.

The Trump administration has shown a deep scepticism toward the temporary protected status program and has moved to revoke the special status afforded to thousands of immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and other nations.