Immigration talks stall over wall funding

WASHINGTON—Immigration negotiations are beginning to sputter over the Trump administration’s pricey border wall request. On Friday, the White House provided Congress with a document outlining its demands as part of a deal to protect nearly 800,000 young immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. According to The Wall Street Journal, President Donald Trump wants $18 billion to construct more than 700 miles of new and replacement barriers along the U.S. southern border. Those funds are part of his $33 billion request for border security spending over the next 10 years on new technology, personnel, and roads. Republicans and Democrats are in the middle of negotiations on a DACA deal coupled with border security measures, but Democrats claim Trump’s request creates an untenable situation. “I will certainly vote against it, and I know most Democrats will vote against it,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told MSNBC Sunday. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Trump’s request threw a wrench into negotiations. “It’s outrageous that the White House would undercut months of bipartisan efforts by again trying to put its entire wish-list of hardline anti-immigrant bills—plus an additional $18 billion in wall funding—on the backs of these young people,” he said in a statement. GOP Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who along with other Senate Republicans met with the president on immigration last week, said the two parties remain far apart on a compromise. “Over the course of the last several weeks, we have negotiated in good faith with Senate Democrats on a DACA agreement,” the two senators said in a joint statement. “Unfortunately, our discussions on border security and enforcement with Democrats are much further apart, and that is key to getting a bipartisan deal on DACA. Until that happens, we cannot accomplish the solutions our country needs and many families deserve. More work remains ahead.” Trump plans to meet with a bipartisan group of lawmakers Tuesday to continue dissucssions on immigration policy.