US Democrats withdraw offer to fund Trump’s border wall
WASHINGTON: Democrats said on Tuesday they had withdrawn an offer to fund US President Donald Trump’s border wall, as tough negotiations over the future of young illegal immigrants known as ‘Dreamers’ resumed in the Senate.
A day after the end of a government shutdown linked to wrangling over immigration, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he pulled the offer because of what he said was Trump’s failure to follow through on the outlines of an agreement the two men discussed on Friday.
“So we’re going to have to start on a new basis and the wall offer is off the table,” Schumer told reporters. An aide said the offer was withdrawn on Sunday.
Trump said on Twitter late on Tuesday night: “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer fully understands, especially after his humiliating defeat, that if there is no Wall, there is no DACA. We must have safety and security, together with a strong Military, for our great people!”
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus expressed fears on Tuesday that Republicans in the House of Representatives would pursue a harsh immigration bill written by Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte.
The House measure would allow Dreamers to renew their legal status for three years, instead of putting them on a pathway to citizenship, and would call for hiring 10,000 more agents at US borders while shutting down some visa programmes and taking other steps to fi nd people who are in the country illegally.
Republican Trump said during the 2016 election campaign Mexico would pay the cost of building a wall along the southwestern border of the US to keep out illegal immigrants. Mexico has rejected the idea.
As a result, Trump has been forced to ask Congress for US taxpayer funds for the wall. Government estimates are that it could cost more than US$ 21 billion.
With Democrats and many Republicans arguing there are more effective border enforcement tools than a wall, the proposal has become a major sticking point in immigration negotiations, which in turn have complicated talks about funding federal agencies. —Reuters