Trump Expected To Offer Compromises In Exchange For Border Wall Funding In Saturday Press Conference

Donald Trump is expected to offer Democrats some compromises on certain immigration sticking points in exchange for money for his proposed border wall in a Saturday press conference, CNN is reporting.

Since late Friday, Trump has promised that there would be a “major announcement” on ending the government shutdown, now in its fourth week, on Saturday. And indeed, Trump has scheduled a press conference for 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday to make his announcement.

“I will be making a major announcement concerning the Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border, and the Shutdown.”

Though details of the announcement have been kept under wraps, sources close to the president say that it will mostly consist of Trump offering certain compromises in exchange for funding for his border wall. Trump has asked Democrats for $5.7 billion to fund his border wall, a focus of his agenda ever since he announced his candidacy. Democrats have refused to give him that, and in the absence of a working budget, the federal government has been forced to shut down.

The crux of the president’s offer, according to sources, will be an offer to extend protection for so-called “Dreamers.” By extending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the compromise would provide further protections for undocumented immigrants who arrived here as children with their parents.

Additionally, the compromise Trump plans to offer would extend protection to some undocumented immigrant adults. Those under Temporary Protected Status, which for some Trump has already rescinded, would also be allowed to stay.

Crafted In Secret By Jared Kushner, Mick Mulvaney, And Mike Pence

According to sources, Trump set to work on the plan his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who works as a sort of unofficial adviser to the president, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and Vice President Mike Pence. The three men worked together to craft a “fair and reasonable proposal” that Trump could present to Democrats. Some of their ideas came from meeting with Congressional Democrats, says the source.

Will It Work?

That’s anybody’s guess. An anonymous source, speaking to CNN, says that the proposal is based on plans Democrats have openly discussed in the past. And while it may not get enough Democrat signatures to bring about that border wall money Trump wants – and thus give Trump a budget he’s willing to sign, ending the government shutdown – it will at the very least put pressure on Democrats to come to the negotiating table, says the source.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is continuing to craft its own spending bill, without allocating money for the border wall.