Shortly before the change of power in the US House of Representatives, Donald Trump, according to a Reuters report, has invited congressional leaders to discuss security at the borders. Senate Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will attend the meeting, his bureau said.
Whether the future majority leader in the House of Representatives, the Democrat Nancy Pelosi, comes, remained unclear. Trump explicitly invited her to a „deal“ in a tweet yesterday.
The meeting scheduled for today in the White House is a briefing and not a round of negotiations, Congress officials said yesterday, according to Reuters. So they alluded to the budget dispute that has paralyzed large sections of the federal authorities for over a week. Since days no money flows to these, because the congress and Trump can agree on no budget law.
The president calls for the release of five billion dollars (4.4 billion euros) to build the promised wall on the border with Mexico. The Democrats reject that. They will take over the leadership of the House of Representatives tomorrow after their success in the congressional election. The Republicans retain control of the Senate.
Report on teargas at the US border
Meanwhile, US border guards are said to have used tear gas again to prevent a group of Central American refugees from crossing the Mexico-US border. According to an eyewitness, US security officials fired irritating gas into Mexico during the night on yesterday in the Mexican border town of Tijuana, as some people overran the border fence.
In a similar incident in November, Mexico had demanded an investigation because weapons had been sent to the territory of Mexico. At first, no statement was received from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The US Border Patrol (CBP) said tear gas was used as refugees and migrants threw stones at US officials to help children and adolescents cross the barbed wire fence. In total, around 150 people had gathered near the border fence on Monday evening. Most returned to Mexico, according to the CBP, 25 people – including two teenagers – were arrested.
