Trump Reinforces Border Wall Demands, Threatens Government Shutdown
In a recent campaign rally in Michigan, President Donald Trump threatened to shut down the federal government in September if requests for funding the border wall were not met.
According to Reuters, the threat on Saturday saw the president stating that if Congress doesn’t fund the needed amount ($18 billion) to build a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, then a federal shutdown would ensue.
“That wall has started, we have 1.6 billion (dollars),” Trump said.
“We come up again on September 28th and if we don’t get border security we will have no choice, we will close down the country because we need border security,” he added.
The rally brought thousands of supporters to Macomb County, though groups of protesters could also be seen throughout the gathering.
The announcement was similar to one made by Trump back in March after the administration pushed for changes regarding immigration laws that would essentially prevent those that are deemed “criminals” from entering the U.S.
Those comments came shortly after a government shut down over immigration policy.
Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill just last month, which is set to keep the government funded until September, though a shut down just ahead of the midterm elections is predicted to not sit well with fellow Republicans, who currently have control of Congress.
In his speech at the rally, Trump cited the hundreds of Central American migrants that have traveled from places like Honduras and Chiapas in a caravan in order to escape rampant violence.
He cited the “corrupt” laws that allow asylum seekers to enter the country in his speech as a reason for stronger border security.
“The laws are so corrupt, they are so corrupt,” he said. “One of the reasons they do it is because the Democrats actually feel and they are probably right, that all of these people pouring across are going to vote for Democrats.”
“Watch the caravan, watch how sad and terrible it is, including for those people and the crime that they inflict on themselves and that others inflict on them,” Trump said. “It’s a horrible dangerous journey for them and they come up because they know once they can get here they can walk right into our country.”
The president also called on Mexico to be a leader in taking in the travelers, claiming that it would shift the responsibility from the U.S.
“We want Mexico to help us,” Trump said. “And we have to demand it.”
“But we have to have borders and we have to have them fast” he added. “We need security and we need the wall.”
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