WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday demand funding for a border wall in exchange for a deal to protect so-called dreamers, the…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday demand funding for a border wall in exchange for a deal to protect so-called « dreamers, » the 800,000 longtime residents brought into the United States illegally as children.
« The wall’s going to happen or we’re not going to have DACA, » Trump said at Camp David, flanked by GOP congressional leaders he invited for a weekend retreat, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn.
Trump also reiterated a vow to force Mexico to repay the United States for the barrier, a promise that revved up his campaign supporters and deeply offended sensibilities south of the border. He has not yet indicated how that might happen, given the fierce resistance of Mexico’s government.
« Mexico will pay, in some form, » Trump insisted Saturday.
Support for the border wall in Congress remains tepid, and Trump’s insistence on linking the controversial project to the Obama-era DACA program — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — could complicate a deal aimed at shielding these young immigrants from deportation.
In September, Trump scrapped the program, which also provided permission to work. He delayed implementation for six months to give Congress time to step in, saying that while he didn’t want to punish law-abiding immigrants brought to the country when they were too young to be held accountable, he wanted lawmakers to formalize their status.
From the outset, he indicated that he viewed the program as potential leverage in negotiations for a border wall. Although DACA expires in early March under Trump’s order, for technical reasons advocates and legal experts see late January as a critical juncture for Congress to address the status of ‘dreamers.’
« We all want DACA to happen but we all want great security for our country, » Trump said.
In the last few days, the White House has told lawmakers it wants $18 billion over the next decade to construct a wall along much of the U. S.-Mexico border. The funds, according to documents circulating in Congress, would pay for 723 miles of barrier — 316 miles of new construction, and 407 miles of upgrades in areas that are already fenced.
The border is roughly 2,000 miles long and of that, about 700 miles already is fenced off.
So the funds Trump seeks from Congress would be enough to say that by 2027, just over half the border is walled off.
