The White House blamed Democrats on Monday for the breakdown in border security talks over the weekend, Politico reported.
President Donald Trump, who is insisting on funding for a southern border wall, sent out a tweet claiming that “The Democrats do not want us to detain, or send back, criminal aliens! This is a brand new demand. Crazy!”
Trump was referring to a Democratic proposal for a cap on immigrant detention beds, which they argue would force Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize targeting more dangerous immigrants living throughout the nation and not just those crossing the border illegally, while cutting back on local deportation raids.
Kellyanne Conway, senior counselor to the president, tried to play down Trump’s role in the talks, telling Fox & Friends that the president “is not part of these negotiations. He’s waiting for a bill to come to his desk he can sign into law.”
Conway accused Democrats of foiling negotiations, saying “they're the ones at the table that can't get this done. They're the ones hurtling us towards a shutdown.”
The breakdown comes after congressmen headed into the weekend with optimism regarding the talks, but the negotiations ground to a halt after the Republicans rejected proposals by the Democrats, Politico reported.
Although the number of ICE detention beds was the latest sticking point in attempts to prevent another partial government shutdown, there are other issues that continue to hold up a deal.