Trump calls for bipartisanship over immigration reform

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday night called for bipartisanship over an immigration overhaul after a year of partisan battles.

Delivering his maiden State of the Union address, Trump said that his administration had met with both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to immigration reform, adding that both chambers of Congress will vote on a package over the next few weeks.

US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

His remarks came amid tough negations between Democrats and Republicans over the fate of so-called Dreamers, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that shields them from deportation but was terminated by Trump last year.

An impasse between bipartisan lawmakers over this issue led to a government shutdown earlier this month and could trigger another in the coming weeks if their divide remains unresolved.

"It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules, and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century," Trump said in his remarks. "So let us come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done." 

Meanwhile, Trump detailed his proposals on immigration legislation, which has four pillars as already revealed last week by the White House, including a path to citizenship for nearly two million illegal immigrants, as well as a wall and more immigration agents on the southern border with Mexico to secure the border.

The president's plan also included an end to the "visa lottery" and "chain migration" while adopting a merit-based immigration system in favor of applicants with skills his country needs.

Trump said that those pillars "represent a down-the-middle compromise, and one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system."

However, Democratic lawmakers jeered when Trump was laying out those proposals.