WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he welcomes a government shutdown if congressional leaders do not agree to a deal to keep the government open later this week.

Id love to see a shutdown if we dont get this stuff taken care of, he said during a roundtable with legislators and law enforcement officials on immigration, adding that Democrats need to agree to his demands for immigration restrictions.

Its worth it for our country, he said. If we have to shut it down because the Democrats dont want safety, and unrelated but still related they dont want to take care of military, then shut it down. Well go with another shutdown.

Lawmakers in both parties have said they hope to avoid another government shutdown like the one that occurred after talks broke down last month. Without an agreement to extend funding, the government would shut down Friday.

At the same time, lawmakers are working on a deal to help young undocumented immigrants, which Trump insists must include border security funding and cuts to legal immigration, something both Democrats and some Republicans have said is a non-starter.

But the White House has not typically taken the position that the debate should be tied to government funding. In January, the White House bashed Senate Democrats for opposing a government spending bill when it left out immigration measures. This time around, its not clear Democrats are willing to make the same move but Trump is now suggesting he will.