President Donald Trump has given lawmakers a new proposal to end the shutdown and secure our southern border — by promising three years of protection for DACA recipients.
The president had just come from a swearing in ceremony for legal immigrants.
Speaking from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room, Trump explained that walls are “the opposite of immoral” because “they will save many lives and stop drugs from pouring into our country.”
The Trump administration’s proposal was as follows:
- $800 million for urgent humanitarian assistance.
- $805 million for drug detection technology to help secure ports of entry.
- An additional 2,750 border agents and law enforcement professionals.
- 75 new immigration judge teams to reduce the court backlog of almost 900,000 cases.
- Critical measures to protect migrant children from exploitation and abuse, including a new system to allow Central American migrants to apply for asylum in their home countries and reform to promote family reunification for unaccompanied children.
In order to secure the border, President Trump said that he is asking for the 5.7 billion for a strategic deployment of physical barriers — or a wall.
To “build the trust” and “goodwill” necessary to make this happen, President Trump also proposed three years of legislative relief for 700,000 DACA recipients. He said the proposal will give them access to work permits, social security numbers and protection from deportation.
The proposal also offered a three year protection of Temporary Protected Status, meaning 300,000 immigrants whose protected status is about to run out will have an extension.
