WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump renewed calls for Congress to pass immigration legislation on Monday, one day after saying he would not consider a deal to protect young immigrants.
"Congress must immediately pass Border Legislation, use Nuclear Option if necessary, to stop the massive inflow of Drugs and People ... Act now Congress, our country is being stolen!" Trump said on Twitter. The "nuclear option" refers to using a parliamentary procedure that would allow the Senate to effectively decide an issue by a simple majority.
One of Trump's signature campaign promises was to build a wall along the southern US border and have Mexico pay for it, something Mexico has repeatedly rejected.
Trump had said he was open to a deal with congressional Democrats to receive funds for the border wall in exchange for protection for young immigrants brought to the country as children, who are known as Dreamers.
But in tweets on Sunday he indicated he was done negotiating and wanted Congress to resolve the issue with legislation.
"'Caravans' coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!" he wrote.
The tweet apparently referred to a group of 1,500 men, women and children from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador who are traveling in a "refugee caravan" organized by Pueblo sin Fronteras, a US-based immigration advocacy group.
By traveling together, the immigrants hope to protect themselves from the crime and extortion that makes the route through Mexico dangerous. They say some but not all of them will seek asylum if they reach the United States.
Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in October, but courts have ruled that it can remain in place for now.
Despite Trump's overtures to congressional Democrats on immigration, no deal has materialized. The Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, considered several immigration proposals in February, but rejected all of them.
In his tweet on Monday, Trump also reiterated his call for Mexico to stop people from entering the United States and said he would terminate a trade deal with Mexico if it did not do more to secure its border with the United States and
The United States is renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.
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