President Donald Trump proposed immigration deal on Saturday in a bid to end a 29-day partial government shutdown, but House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it "unacceptable" as details emerged.
The president has not budged on his demand that $5.7 billion to fund a U.S.-Mexico border wall be part of any bill to fully reopen the government, an ultimatum Democrats oppose.
Trump extended support for legislation to protect young undocumented immigrants, known as “Dreamers," as well as holders of temporary protected status (TPS).
Pelosi, the top U.S. Democrat, in a statement said the offer did not "represent a good-faith effort to restore certainty to people's lives." She said the president's offer was unlikely to gain the votes needed to pass the House or Senate.
Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said he could not support such an offer. "First, President Trump and Senate majority leader (Mitch) McConnell must open the government today," Durbin said in a statement.
"Second, I cannot support the proposed offer as reported and do not believe it can pass the Senate. Third, I am ready to sit down at any time after the government is opened and work to resolve all outstanding issues," Durbin said.
The Democratic-controlled House has approved several bills that would restore funding to shutdown-affected federal agencies. But Trump opposes the bills and McConnell has refused to let any of them come to a vote in the Senate, which is still controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans.
As the shutdown passed the four-week mark, making it the longest in U.S. history, about 800,000 federal workers were still at home on furlough or working without pay, a situation that was threatening public services and the economy.
Polls showed Americans increasingly blaming Trump for the shutdown, the 19th to occur since the mid-1970s. Most past shutdowns have been brief. The current one has had no impact on three-quarters of the government, including the Department of Defense, which has secure funding.
"IT'S NOT PERSONAL"
Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn on Saturday that he has no personal feud with Pelosi.
She and other Democrats oppose Trump's demand for a border wall, calling it too expensive, ineffective and immoral.
"Whether it’s personal or not, it’s not personal for me," Trump said, adding he was concerned about more immigrants moving north through Mexico toward the U.S. border.
"I’m disappointed that Mexico is not stopping them," he said. "If we had a wall, we wouldn't have a problem."
The Dreamers, mostly young Latinos, are protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects certain people who illegally entered the United States as children. It provides about 700,000 immigrants with work permits, but no path to citizenship.
Former Democratic President Barack Obama put DACA in place in 2012 through an executive order. The Trump administration announced in September 2017 it would rescind DACA, but the policy remains in effect under a court order.
Axios reported that Trump would throw his support behind the BRIDGE Act, which would provide three years of temporary legal status and work authorization for the Dreamers. The act was first proposed in 2016 by Durbin and Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to Trump.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is given to nationals from designated countries affected by armed conflict, natural disaster, or other strife. TPS holders are permitted to work and live in the United States for limited times.
The Trump administration has shown a deep skepticism toward the TPS program and has moved to revoke the special status for immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and other nations.
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