Trump threatens federal government shutdown if US Congress does not support immigration reforms

United States President Donald Trump threatened on Sunday that he would allow the federal government to shut down if the US Congress refuses to support immigration reforms and border security.

Trump has repeatedly called for immigration reforms in the US, saying that America is the "laughing stock of the world" due to the "worst" immigration laws. He has been a promoter of merit-based system and the chain migration to reduce overall immigration to the US and the topics have been brought up in his rallies many times.

US lawmakers are facing a September deadline and the federal government has already shut down twice this year, first over a failed deal for Dreamers, young undocumented migrants brought to the country as children, then over a funding bill.

Earlier this year, The White House had proposed merit-based immigration, which received an unenthusiastic reaction from within the President's own party. He had also launched a proposal for additional border security which included USD 25 billion wall along the US-Mexico border.

Recently, Trump had come under intense criticism for his zero-tolerance immigration policy, as a result of which thousands of children were separated from their parents at the southern border. In June, a federal judge ordered the government last month to swiftly reunite those families.

(Featured Image – The New Daily)