TUCSON, AZ— Today, President Trump announced a plan to end the government shutdown by announcing the White House’s support for a plan that would afford temporary protections for DACA and TPS recipients in exchange for $5.7 billion for a border wall. In response, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva issued the following statement:

“Today’s ‘compromise’ is the same old recycled rhetoric, lies, and backtracking that we’ve come to expect from Donald Trump. Once again, he used his presidential pulpit to falsely characterize the borderlands as dens of crime and horror while refusing to acknowledge the role his policies have played in creating the humanitarian crisis we see at the border today.

“Throughout his entire presidency, Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his inability to negotiate in good faith. Time and time again, he’s used Dreamers, TPS recipients, and families seeking asylum as pawns in a sick game to get his ridiculous wall for his shrinking base. Talk about reforming our immigration system rings hollow when congressional Republicans—long before Trump entered office—repeatedly killed attempts at comprehensive immigration reform. However this time, 800,000 federal workers are paying the price of his petulance, and Trump refuses to express any empathy for their situation.

“A border wall will not give Trump a solution that he so desperately claims, and nor will this deal undo the damage of his decision to end TPS and the DACA program. Investing in technology, modernizing our ports of entry, and hiring more customs agents to facilitate efficient economic activity should be at the heart of any conversation concerning border security, and keeping families together should be the core of comprehensive immigration reform. Democrats are ready to work across the aisle on these issues, but only when President Trump reopens the government and stops holding government funding, federal workers, and Dreamers hostage for his vanity wall.”

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