Lawmakers Sign "Agreement in Principle" in Border Security Talks, With $ 1.3 Billion for Barrier



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Congressional negotiators revealed Monday night that they had reached an "agreement in principle" on cross-border security funding of over $ 1.3 billion for the creation of physical barriers along the US-Mexico border.

When asked if they had reached an agreement President Trump would have approved, Senator Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told the press: " We think so, we hope. " Representative Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., Chair of the House Credits Committee, declined to give details of the agreement, but said a final text could be released Wednesday.

Legislators have until 11:59 pm. On Friday, to get the agreement signed by both houses of Congress and signed by Trump before the closure of several ministerial departments and the release of hundreds of thousands of federal officials in what would be the second partial closure of the government this year.

Sources told Fox News that the $ 1.3 billion can only be used for new construction covering approximately 55 kilometers of border territory in the Rio Grande Valley.

The White House had asked for $ 5.7 billion for the border wall and the administration had considered the possibility of Trump declaring his statement. A national emergency and divert money from the federal budget for the construction of walls, but this decision will almost certainly be challenged in court as well as in court.

TRUMP HALLDS RALLY IN AMAZ TEXAS BORDER WALL DEBATE [1945] 19659003] Discussions almost collapsed over the weekend after Democrats pushed down funding for detention beds to reduce that they called an unnecessarily harsh application by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A proposal to limit to 16,500 the number of detainees captured in areas far from the border – a term that, according to Democrats, was intended to prevent the passage of ICE – has hit its own republican wall.

Shelby told reporters Monday night that the bed issue had been raised. worked, but refused to give details. "We think it will work," he said. "We had difficult negotiations."

Sources told Fox News that the agreement would provide enough money for 42,774 adult and 2,500 child beds, the goal being to reduce this number to about 40,250 by the end of September. However, the White House has the ability to transfer money into the bill without the blessing of Congress in order to provide more money for the wall or more holding beds. With this in mind, sources told Fox News that the total number of beds could reach 52,000, even though there is no technical limit.

According to ICE figures, 66% of the 159,000 immigrants reported to have been detained in the last year have already been convicted of crimes. In 2016, under President Obama, about 110,000 immigrants were arrested and 86% had a criminal record.

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At a rally in the countryside on Monday night in El Paso, Texas, Trump said he learned that the legislators made progress in their attempt to avoid a new closure. However, the president told his staff that he did not want to hear about it and that it was important to talk to my people about Texas first. "

"I had a choice," Trump said. "I could have been listening and listening to the citizens of El Paso and Texas, but I chose you.

Chad Pergram, Mike Emanuel, Fox News, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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