Government Shutdown Looming? Trump Slams Democrats On 'New Demand' For Border Security

With Friday's deadline looming to avert another partial government shutdown, President Trump on Monday took to Twitter to slam Democrats over border negotiations. One of the points of contention is the number of detention beds, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly detaining more than Congress had authorized.

In response to Sunday's failed bipartisan negotiations over a cap on beds, Trump posted: "The Democrats do not want us to detain, or send back, criminal aliens! This is a brand new demand. Crazy!"

The Trump administration said in January that it wants $4.2 billion in funding to support 52,000 detention beds, a sharp increase from the 40,000 that had been authorized by Congress. There are 40,520 beds currently used by ICE for detainees, a number Democrats urged should be decreased to 35,520.

Democrats have also reportedly pushed to cap the number of beds at 16,500 strictly for those detained in the U.S. interior.

Trump on Sunday posted on Twitter that Democrats were acting irrationally about border funding.

Trump has hinted that he may initiate a state of emergency if he does not receive $5.7 billion for a border wall.

Trump’s Twitter comments echo like-minded remarks he made before and during the first partial government shutdown, which lasted a record 35 days. Trump stated that Democrats were "more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border."

Despite Trump’s claims, many have pointed out conciliatory efforts made by the Democrats to compromise on Trump’s budgetary demands, which included efforts to protect immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, otherwise known as Dreamers.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Sunday said that Trump remains dogged about building the border wall.

"The president is going to build the wall," Mulvaney said on "Fox News Sunday." "This is going to get built with or without Congress."

Mulvaney added that "a government shutdown is technically still on the table."