Trump: New Tolls on Border Crossers from Mexico Will Fund the Wall
A successful international businessman who knew how to make money so well that he became a billionaire has pinpointed how he says the federal government will raise money needed to fund construction of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump revealed how his administration is taking the cost of the border wall off the backs of American taxpayers.
As a candidate in 2016, Trump promised to build a wall. He has kept that promise.
To date, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 317 miles of wall have been built. Trump has financed construction through the federal budget as he has sought to work out a deal with Mexico for funding.
During a rally Tuesday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Trump told his supporters how that deal will work.
Thank you Winston-Salem, North Carolina! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/VJkBTfAGjg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2020
“You know the wall now is past 300 miles. It’s exactly the wall that our great Border Patrol wanted. I was hoping a nice concrete plank for the builders in here, boom, boom, you put it,” he said, noting that the designs became more complex to address the needs of those patrolling the border.
“So we’re over 300 miles now, and we will be finished with it very soon and we have among the safest borders that we’ve ever had by far, and it’s a good time to have it too,” the president added.
Trump then talked about paying for the project.
“You know Mexico is paying for the wall just so you understand. They don’t say that,” Trump said.
“They never say it, but we’re going to charge a small fee at the border, the toll booths. We have toll booths. It’s the biggest border in the world in terms of people going across and in terms of industry, believe it or not, the southern border. We’re putting a small toll on and maybe we’re going to do something with remittance.”
Remittance payments are wages earned in America that are then sent back to another country, according to Fox Business.
“All the money that we spent on the wall will be coming back,” Trump said. “Remember I used to say, ‘Who’s going to pay for it?’ They’d say Mexico. That’s right. That’s right. Mexico is going to pay for it.”
The president noted that during his time in office, Mexico has gone from helping to cause problems at the border to helping to control illegal immigration.
“Mexico and I get along great,” Trump said.
“In fact they have 27,000 soldiers along our southern border protecting us from people coming into our country. Can you imagine that? Twenty-seven thousand, and I did that so that we don’t put tariffs on their products coming in, it was very simple. I said, ‘You got to do it,’ and the president’s been great, he’s a friend of mine, he’s doing a very good job. Not easy, Mexico’s not easy, but he’s doing a very good job.
“But the wall is almost completed and it’s a tremendous wall. It’s everything that the Border Patrol people wanted. I gave them everything. I said, ‘What else do you want?’ It’s wired for every single thing you could have. Remember the Democrats, ‘We don’t want a wall, we want drones flying.’ Oh that helps us a lot, drones, so you can watch everybody pour in to our country, right?” Trump said.
Trump added that his administration has reversed the trend of America’s border security growing weaker and weaker.
“Under my administration, we’ve achieved the most secure border in American history,” Trump said.
“Now, I have to tell you that 300 miles of wall helps a lot. Remember they said, ‘Walls are old-fashioned. They don’t work.’ Really?” he added.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
