Trump Goes to California To Give Big Update on Border Wall: '400 Miles Will Cover It'
President Donald Trump was upbeat Friday as he traveled to California to look at part of the wall being constructed along America’s border with Mexico.
Trump participated in a roundtable discussion on border security at the Border Patrol’s Calexico Station, according to a White House media pool report.
“We’re building a lot of wall,” Trump said, later adding, “we have a lot of things happening.”
“(W)e expect to have close to 400 miles done within about two years from now. That’s a lot. Four hundred miles will cover most of it,” he said.
“We expect to have close to 400 miles [of wall] done within about 2 years from now. That’s a lot. 400 miles will cover most of it.”
President Trump participates in roundtable on immigration & border security at U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station in CA. pic.twitter.com/HCGbNw1XZ7
— The Hill (@thehill) April 6, 2019
During the roundtable, Gen. Todd Semonite, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, presented an update on wall construction.
“We have put in the ground over 82 miles that is up to date. And then, right now, by the end of this year, we’ll have another 97 miles that will go in. And I’m really talking the entire depth of the border all the way across from Texas into California,” he said, addressing Trump.
“And then, sir, where the money that both Congress has appropriated and other money that you have been able to direct, we will put in the ground another 277 miles in the next year. What that will end up with is by the end of — around December of 2020, the total amount of money that we will have put in the ground in the last couple of years will be about 450 miles. That’s probably about $8 billion, in total about 33 different projects,” Semonite said.
Trump said the need for the wall reflects the reality that the legal system cannot absorb more illegal immigrants than the numbers that have already made their way into communities within the United States.
“We have a system that’s full. It’s just full. And I was telling some of the people before: If it’s full, there’s nothing you can do about it. We have some horrible court decisions that have been made over the years. It’s very unfair and that’s the way it is,” Trump said.
Trump foreshadowed that more actions beyond building the wall may be coming.
“(T)he system is full. And when it’s full, there’s nothing you can do. You have to say, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t take you.’ We’ve been trying to take people, and I have to disagree with it. We’ve been trying to take people and you can’t do it. You can’t do it. So we’re going to look at that and we’re going to look at it very, very strongly,” he said.
Trump said one issue that must be remedied is the array of “horrible loopholes that everybody knows is very bad.”
“Whether it’s catch and release or whether it’s visa lottery, so many of them — chain migration is a total disaster. The asylum laws are broken. They’re totally broken. And, look, I inherited this stuff, and we’re going to get it fixed. We have to,” Trump said.
Trump also indicated more troops could be sent to the southern border.
“We have a big emergency at our southern border. The United States had more than 70,000 illegal migrants rush our border. They rush our border. And we have military, and these are great military people. These are people that are strong and solid and love our country. But they can’t act the way they would under other conditions and there’s not a lot they can do, but they’ve been doing it anyway. And we’re going to bring up some more military,” he said.
Trump also touched on the political dimension of the border emergency.
“So the crisis is a direct result of the obstruction by Democrats in Congress,” Trump said.
Trump offered a blunt message to illegal immigrants.
“It’s a colossal surge and it’s overwhelming our immigration system, and we can’t let that happen. So, as I say, and this is our new statement:
“The system is full. Can’t take you anymore. Whether it’s asylum, whether it’s anything you want, it’s illegal immigration. We can’t take you anymore. We can’t take you. Our country is full. Our area is full. The sector is full. Can’t take you anymore, I’m sorry. Can’t happen. So turn around. That’s the way it is,” he said.
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