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Donald Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico has been dealt another blow
President Trump had earlier pledged to work with the Democrats to protect “Dreamers” – young people brought illegally to the US as children – but a list of immigration “principles” reportedly laid out in a document presented to Congress have sparked outrage from Democrats.
Congressional Democrats rejected the President’s requests that renewed protection for “Dreamers” would be included alongside funding for a border wall and money for thousands more immigration officers.
House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: “We told the President at our meeting that we were open to reasonable border security measures alongside the DREAM Act, but this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable.
“This proposal fails to represent any attempt at compromise.”
The immigration “principles” includes a crackdown on unaccompanied minors who enter the US, many of them from Central America.
The plan which was delivered to leaders in Congress on Sunday evening was slapped down by Democrats as a non-starter.
The party has been pushing for a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that Trump ended last month.
Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer, in a joint statement, said: “The administration can’t be serious about compromise or helping the Dreamers if they begin with a list that is anathema to the Dreamers, to the immigrant community and to the vast majority of Americans.
We told the President we were open to reasonable border security measures alongside the DREAM Act, but this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable.
“The list includes the wall, which was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations.
“If the President was serious about protecting the Dreamers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so.”
The White House wants the wish list to guide immigration reform in Congress and accompany a bill to replace DACA, an Obama-era program that protected nearly 800,000 “Dreamers” from deportation and also allowed them to secure work permits.
The White House priorities, if enacted, could result in the deportation of Dreamers’ parents.
The proposals include a request for funds to hire 370 more immigration judges, 1,000 attorneys for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, 300 federal prosecutors and 10,000 additional ICE agents to enforce immigration laws.
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Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer lashed out at Trump’s immigration policies as unreasonable
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said: ”The President has made clear he wants Congress to act and pass responsible immigration reform in conjunction with any legislation related to DACA.”
Trump told Congress it had six months to come up with legislation to help Dreamers, who are understood to represent only a fraction of the 11million illegal immigrants in the US, most of whom are Hispanic.
The document also called for tighter standards for those seeking US asylum, denial of federal grants to “sanctuary cities” that serve as refuges for illegal immigrants, and a requirement that employers use an electronic verification system known as “E-Verify” to keep illegal immigrants from securing jobs.
The President is understood to have met with Ms Schumer and Mr Pelosi and suggested that wall funding would not have to be part of a DACA fix, which has alarmed some of his supporters.
A White House official said the principles were a guide for the legislative process it hopes Republicans and Democrats will take up.
He said: ”Funding for the wall is a priority for the administration. Whether it is part of DACA or there is a different pathway to get it done, it will remain a priority.”
The official added that the Trump administration would be pushing for “legal status” for the Dreamer population but would not be advocating for citizenship.
The Mexico border wall and tougher immigration policies were key pledges the Republican campaigned for, before his election to office earlier this year.
He vowed repeatedly that Mexico would pay for the wall, but eventually began prodding Congress to approve funding after Mexico made clear it would not fund it.
Republicans in Congress have introduced several bills that include aspects of Trump’s priorities, but many Democrats and immigration groups see the proposals as too harsh.