Trump says wants border wall funding, sees possible DACA
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a news conference following Tuesday's midterm congressional elections at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 7, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he hopes he can work with Congress on immigration to fund his border wall, as well as possibly addressing the thousands of young immigrants living in the United States without legal status.
Speaking to reporters at the White House after Tuesday’s congressional elections, he said he wanted to see U.S. lawmakers provide enough money to build his long-promised wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico. But he said he would not necessarily force a government shutdown over the issue.
“We need the money to build the wall, the whole wall, not pieces of it,” Trump told reporters at a news conference at the White House following Tuesday’s midterm elections. “We need the wall, many Democrats know we need the wall, and we’re just going to have to see what happens.”
The Republican president also said he saw potential to work with Democrats - who won control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the elections and will take over in January - over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program but would have to see how the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the issue.
The program has shielded from deportation immigrants dubbed “Dreamers” and given them work permits, though not a path to citizenship.
Trump’s administration on Monday asked the nation’s top court to allow it to end the program.
“I think we could really do something having to do with DACA,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll see how it works out at the Supreme Court.”
Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Susan Heavey; editing by Jonathan Oatis
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