President Donald Trump plans in his State of the Union address to challenge Democrats to approve funding for his long-sought border wall, while stopping short of declaring a national emergency over it.
Before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump was likely to stir contention with remarks on immigration policy, after his demand for $US5.7 billion ($A7.9 billion) in wall funds triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.
"We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens," Trump will say, according to excerpts of his State of the Union speech released by the White House.
"No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards," he will say.
Millions of Americans were expected to watch the address on television, giving Trump his biggest opportunity to date to explain why he believes a barrier is needed on the US southern border with Mexico.
US House Speaker and leading Democrat Nacy Pelosi has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trump's wall-funding demand. That has led Trump to contemplate declaring a national emergency, which he says would let him reallocate funding from elsewhere without congressional action.
A source close to Trump said the president was not expected to use his speech to announce plans for a national emergency, which would draw a swift court challenge from Democrats. Instead he will urge a congressional committee to work out a border security deal by February 15.
Trump has said the wall, which he promised during his 2016 campaign and said Mexico would pay for, is needed to deter illegal immigration and drugs.
