US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to "entirely" close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall. "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall and change the ridiculous immigration laws we are saddled with," Trump tweeted.

The Republican leader's warning came as a partial federal government shutdown was set to drag on into next week, with legislators in Washington failing to reach a compromise over Trump's insistence on funding the border barrier. Both sides have dug in, with Democrats refusing to provide $5 billion for the project and the president vowing he will not fully fund the government unless he gets the money. Trump had last month threatened to close the "whole border" with Mexico if "it gets to a level where we're going to lose control or people are going to start getting hurt."