We are out of space to hold them, and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their country.Īmerica proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. I think that’s the way with the wall.Tonight, I am speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border.Įvery day, customs and border patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country. “Some things just take time and don’t occur real quick. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said Monday night on Fox Business. “He said we would build a wall and Mexico would pay for it, … but he never said when,” Rep.
Meanwhile, one of the president’s staunchest defenders in Congress defended the delay of the president’s campaign promise, urging Americans to be patient. But it’s harder to imagine them supporting an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, since they enforce immigration laws internally in the United States and not at the borders. The Democrats could theoretically agree to funds for more surveillance technology on the border, or to hire and train more border patrol agents. “I think we can be less prescriptive about exactly what the structure looks like and more focused on the fact that we need to secure the border.”īoth House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Schumer have signaled openness to funding border security in the spending bill as long as it doesn’t go to construction of a wall or the “ deportation force” Trump mentioned during the campaign.
“I know it’s being generally referred to as a border wall, but I think it’s the efforts to make sure that Border Patrol can have adequate funding for the people, technology and infrastructure they think they need to secure ,” Tillis said. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., also pushed for interpreting “border wall” as border security in general. Graham said the president would still be in “good shape” if he gets funding for border security in the spending bill that’s not specifically for a wall.
So it’s a code word for better border security.” “I think has become symbolic for better border security. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters Monday evening. “Border walls and fences are part of an overall plan, but there will never be a 2,200-mile wall built. That way, the president could declare any increase in border spending in the spending bill a victory, right as his presidency passes the symbolic 100-day mark on Friday. Several Republican senators urged the president to think of the “ big, beautiful wall” he promised on the campaign trail as symbolic of border security in general. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)īut it’s possible the president will find a way to declare victory even if his call for a wall goes unanswered by Congress. On Tuesday morning, the president claimed he had not changed his position on the wall as the “fake media” was claiming, but he didn’t specify whether he still believed he would get the funds in this week’s spending bill, which increasingly looks like a political impossibility.Ī view of the U.S.-Mexican border fence at Playas de Tijuana in Mexico. “If the wall is not built, which it will be, the drug situation will NEVER be fixed the way it should be!” Trump exclaimed Monday, adding: “#BuildTheWall.”
Trump tweeted repeatedly that the wall is necessary to stop the flow of drugs into the United States. This is a sharp reversal from his position over the weekend and early Monday, when he doubled down on his demand for the wall. Trump told a group of conservative reporters he invited to the White House on Monday that he was open to getting funding for the wall in September when Congress debates the 2018 budget, the Associated Press reported. Republican lawmakers have urged the president to focus on border security in general instead of the wall, which Democrats have called a poison pill that would cause them to reject the bill and shut down the government. WASHINGTON - President Trump reportedly backed off his demand that Congress include a down payment for a wall spanning the entire U.S.-Mexico border in a crucial spending bill that must pass by Friday night to keep the government funded. Then-candidate Donald Trump visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in the summer of 2015.