Pence urges US diplomats to promote legal immigration

Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday urged US diplomats to emphasize that the United States still welcomes legal immigrants, amid unrelenting pressure from President Donald Trump to seal off Mexico with a wall.

"I urge you to assure our allies this administration will continue to stand for legal immigration, even while we address the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border," Pence told 180 US ambassadors and chiefs of mission abroad who were back at the State Department for an annual meeting.

"The United States supports legal immigration. In fact, we celebrate it. And America has a proud record of support for refugees," he said.

Pence's remarks amount to a tacit recognition of the effect on the US image of Trump's tough talk on unauthorized immigrants, whom the US leader accuses of spreading crime, despite statistics that immigrants are less likely to commit offenses than native-born Americans.

The US government has been shut down for nearly a month as Trump demands .