Donald Trump offers protection to immigrants for US-Mexico border wall funding

Seeking to end the federal government shutdown, President Donald Trump has offered temporary protection for people illegally brought to the US as children in exchange for USD 5.7 billion for constructing a wall on the Mexico border. The impasse between the Trump-led Republican Party and the Democratic Party led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the border wall led to the shutdown, which has rendered 800,000 federal government workers without work and crippled key departments.

The shutdown-- the longest in US history-- entered its 29th day, as Trump Saturday made the announcement.

The president has also proposed protection to other groups of immigrants facing deportation.


"Both sides in Washington must simply come together," Trump said in a White House speech, adding he is trying to "break the logjam."

Defending his plan for the US-Mexico border wall, he said, "Walls are not immoral, in fact they are the opposite of immoral because they will save many lives."

Trump said he was offering a "commonsense compromise both parties should embrace."

The president said he would give protection for young people brought to the country illegally as children and also extend it to those with temporary protected status after fleeing countries affected by natural disasters or violence.

The divide between the Republicans and Democrats, and the shutdown are fallouts of Trump refusing to sign spending bills without the USD5.7 billion to start constructing the border wall.