President Trump doubled-down Tuesday on his administration’s willingness to shut down the United States’ southern border should Mexico fail to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.
The Commander-in-Chief was speaking with reporters at the White House when he was asked to comment on his previous remarks regarding a total closure of the US-Mexico border in the coming days.
Trump: “If we don’t make a deal with Congress, the Mexico border’s going to be closed 100%, or we’re going to close large sections of the border, and I’m totally ready to do it” pic.twitter.com/fz2pES7EbP
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) April 2, 2019
“If we don’t make a deal with Congress the border’s going to be closed. 100%. This should’ve been done by other presidents. So many things should’ve been done by other presidents. If we don’t make a deal with Congress and Mexico […] we’re going to close the border, or large sections of the border,” said the President.
“It’s the only way we’re getting a response and I’m totally ready to do it,” he added.
BORDER BREACHED: ‘Frustrated’ Migrants ‘Breach’ US-Mexico Border
‘Frustrated’ members of the Central American ‘migrant caravan’ began ‘breaching’ the US-Mexican border this week; jumping a ten-foot tall fence in a last-ditch effort to reach the United States before returning to their country of origin.
According to Newsweek, an undisclosed number of immigrants illegally crossed into the country at the border crossing near San Diego, California.
“On Monday, a number of the asylum seekers who had been waiting in the Mexican border town of Tijuana to make their asylum claims climbed over the border fence, despite being almost certain to face detention by U.S. authorities on the other side,” writes Newsweek.
The Trump administration’s fierce crackdown on the ‘migrant caravan’ has caused the 6,000-strong group to stall in Tijuana, Mexico; with many choosing to return home rather than wait months for their asylum claims to be processed by American authorities.
The President has repeatedly threatened to “completely close” the entire southern border should the crisis escalate.
Read the full report at Newsweek.
BORDER CHAOS: California BANS TROOPS from Helping Border Patrol Agents
The government of California officially rebuked the Trump administration’s decision to deploy the National Guard to the southern border Monday; saying federal plans had their troops working “too closely” with immigration enforcement.
According to the Associated Press, state officials notified federal authorities that deployed soldiers will be prohibited from tackling duties seen as cracking down on illegal immigration: including fixing border patrol vehicles, operating surveillance cameras, and monitoring radio transmissions.
Last week, Governor Jerry Brown confirmed that he was willing to deploy upwards of 400 troops to the United States’ border with Mexico, but added the service members would be prohibited from aiding federal agents in stemming the flow of people across the border.
“This will not be a mission to build a new wall,” Brown wrote. “It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws.”