Trump offers deal on immigrants in exchange for wall

Democrats say they will reject president’s offer as longest government shutdown continues

Donald Trump on Saturday made an offer to end the month-long US government shutdown that would see some undocumented migrants get three years additional protection in return for $5.7bn of funding for a border wall.

“Both sides in Washington must come together . . . put down their armour, build trust, reach across the aisle and find solutions,” the president said in a live address from the White House.

“I am here today to break the logjam and provide Congress with a path forward to end the government shutdown.”

The president said he would extend protection against deportation for undocumented migrants who came to the US as children — a group known as “Dreamers” — for another three years. He also offered a three-year reprieve for immigrants from some Latin American and African countries who have temporary protected status (TPS).

But the offer was promptly rebuffed by Democrats, who described it as a rehash of ideas they had previously rejected.

“It’s clear the president realises that by closing the government and hurting so many American workers and their families, he has put himself and the country in an untenable position,” said Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate.

“It was the president who singlehandedly took away DACA (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status enjoyed by the Dreamers) and TPS protections in the first place — offering some protections back in exchange for the wall is not a compromise but more hostage taking.”

Mr Trump’s proposal also included $800m for humanitarian assistance, medical support and new temporary housing, and $805m for drug detection teams at the border, as well as the hiring of 2,750 extra border agents and law enforcement professionals. He said he would hire 75 new immigration judge teams to reduce what he claimed was a backlog in the immigration court of 800,000 cases.

The president attempted to recast his request for money for a wall, saying that it would not be a “2,000 mile concrete structure from sea to sea”. Instead, he said he wanted to build steel structures wherever there were not already natural barriers, such as forests or mountains, or existing border fences.

He called his proposal “a compassionate response to the ongoing tragedy on our southern border”. Mitch Mcconnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, would put forward the measures in a bill to be voted on next week, he said.

Mitt Romney, Mr Trump’s former presidential rival and now a Senator, described the plan as “a reasonable, good faith proposal that will reopen the government and help secure the border.”

But it looks sure to struggle in the House, where the Democrats now hold the majority. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the chamber, tweeted:

“What is original in the President’s proposal is not good. What is good in the proposal is not original. Democrats will vote next week to add additional border security funding for ports of entry, advanced technology for scanning vehicles for drugs & immigration judges.”