President Trump today tweeted that he will close the Mexican border or parts of it next week if Mexico “doesn’t immediately stop all illegal immigration coming into the United States.” This is the latest in a series of closure threats over the last six months. The president has repeatedly asked Congress for help in stemming the border crisis, It has not been forthcoming so he is considering other options.
The president said, “The Democrats have given us the weakest immigration laws anywhere in the World. Mexico has the strongest, & they make more than $100 Billion a year on the U.S. Therefore, Congress must change our weak immigration laws now, & Mexico must stop illegals from entering the U.S…through their country and our Southern Border. Mexico has for many years made a fortune off of the U.S., far greater than Border Costs…This would be so easy for Mexico to do, but they just take our money and “talk.” Besides, we lose so much money with them, especially when you add in drug trafficking etc.), that the Border closing would be a good thing!”
This week Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan told reporters that the immigration system is nearing its "breaking point." CBP facilities for housing migrants at facilities in Texas and Arizona are reaching capacity. This has resulted in agents releasing large groups of migrant families into Yuma, Arizona and El Paso, Texas.
NBC News reports that the Homeland Security Department plans to again ask Congress for funds to handle the crisis and authority to stem the flow of migrants. In a draft letter to Congress NBC obtained, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen wrote that she will soon send Congress a legislative proposal that addresses the "root causes of the emergency." This includes authority to: treat minors from non-contiguous countries like those from Mexico, who can be deported without administrative hearings; keep alien families in custody together through the immigration process; and allow asylum seekers to apply from Central American rather than travel to the U.S. border.
Read more in The Hill.
