Immigration activists and Central American migrants trying to make their way to the United States who spoke to Reuters seemed unfazed by US President Donald Trump’s proposed immigration deal.
In a bid to end a 29-day partial government shutdown in the United States, Trump proposed a deal that included temporary protections for “Dreamers” in exchange for his demand for $5.7 billion dollars to fund a US-Mexico border barrier.
Activists at a migrant shelter in Tijuana lamented the US president’s fixation with the border wall and his divisive language linking migrants with drugs, gangs and violence.
Meanwhile, Honduran migrants who are part of a caravan headed for the US’s southern border did not appear deterred by the continued push for the wall.
One migrant suggested the United States should first understand the reasons Central American migrants are leaving their countries before trying to remedy the situation with a wall.
In a speech from the White House, Trump offered three years of protections for young undocumented immigrants known as “Dreamers,” as well as for holders of temporary protected status (TPS), another class of immigrants.
