President Trump signs order to build Mexico border wall

[webfact]

President Trump signs order to build Mexico border wall

Alasdair Sandford

 

 

WASHINGTON: -- The new US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to build a wall along the border with Mexico – as pledged during the election campaign – and to crack down on US cities shielding illegal immigrants.

 

One directive dealt with building a wall along the 3,200-kilometre US-Mexican border. Earlier on Wednesday Trump said that construction of the wall could begin within months, and repeated that Mexico would pay for its construction – an assertion that has been challenged by critics as unenforceable.

 

“A nation without borders is not a nation. Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders, gets back its borders,” Trump said during a ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security. “I just signed two executive orders that will save thousands of lives, millions of jobs and billions and billions of dollars.”

 

However, many details remain uncertain, and the man charged with putting the scheme into practice – the Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly – told congressional hearing recently that physical borders alone could not stop illegal immigration.

 

The second order envisages stripping federal grant money from “sanctuary” states and cities that harbour illegal immigrants.

In some cities such as San Francisco local officials, often Democrats, refuse to cooperate with federal authorities on actions against people in the country illegally.

 

As he did during his election campaign, Donald Trump again linked illegal immigrants to crime.

 

“We’re joined here this afternoon by parents whose children were horribly killed by individuals living here illegally. Pundits talk about how enforcing immigration laws can separate illegal immigrant families, but the families they don’t talk about are the families of Americans – for ever separated from the people they love,” the president said.

 

Wednesday’s moves show that the president intends to proceed quickly on sweeping and divisive plans to curb immigration and boost national security.

 

Commentators have pointed out that deportations of illegal migrants had been stepped up even under the Obama administration. But Trump’s order is expected to cover a wider range of people.

 

Donald Trump is also expected to take steps in the coming days to limit legal immigration – including executive orders restricting refugees and blocking visas being issued to people from several Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa, according to Reuters.

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2017-01-26

[webfact]

Trump moves ahead with wall, puts stamp on U.S. immigration, security policy

By Julia Edwards Ainsley

REUTERS

 

U.S. President Donald Trump (C), flanked by Vice President Mike Pence (L) and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly (R), takes the stage to deliver remarks at Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, U.S., January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered construction of a U.S.-Mexican border wall and punishment for cities shielding illegal immigrants while mulling restoring a CIA secret detention program as he launched broad but divisive plans to reshape U.S. immigration and national security policy.

 

A draft executive order seen by Reuters that Trump is expected to sign in the coming days would block the entry of refugees from war-torn Syria and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and African countries Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen while permanent rules are studied.

 

Less than a week into his presidency, Trump has moved aggressively to put his stamp on a range of policies, including steps to gut the healthcare system devised by his predecessor, and make clear that as president he is not turning toward more moderate positions than he took as a candidate.

 

His directives on Wednesday signalled a tough action toward the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States, most from Latin America, whom he already has threatened to deport.

 

In a move critics called a slight to the integrity of American democracy, Trump also said on Wednesday he would seek a "major investigation" into what he believes was voter fraud in the November election, despite overwhelming consensus among state officials, election experts and politicians that it is rare in the United States.

 

"We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States," Trump told an audience that included relatives of people killed by illegal immigrants at the Department of Homeland Security after signing two executive orders.

 

The directives ordered the construction of a multibillion-dollar wall along the roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-km) U.S.-Mexico border, moved to strip federal funding from "sanctuary" states and cities that harbour illegal immigrants, and expanded the force of American immigration agents.

 

His plans prompted an outcry from immigrant advocates and Democratic lawmakers who said Trump was jeopardizing the rights and freedoms of millions of people while treating Mexico as an enemy, not an ally, and soiling America's historic reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants of all stripes.

 

"The border wall is about political theatre at the expense of civil liberties," said Christian Ramirez, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition immigrant advocacy group.

 

"It is not national security policy. Border communities are among the safest in the nation, and patrolling them with tens of thousands of heavily armed, poorly trained, unaccountable agents puts lives at risks. This will turn these communities into de facto military zones," Ramirez said.

 

The White House said the wall would stem the flow of drugs, crime and illegal immigration into the United States.

 

"We are in the middle of a crisis on our southern border: The unprecedented surge of illegal migrants from Central America is harming both Mexico and the United States," Trump said, adding: "A nation without borders is not a nation."

 

Trump is also expected to order a review that could lead to bringing back a CIA program for holding terrorism suspects in secret overseas "black site" prisons where interrogation techniques often condemned as torture were used during former Republican President George W. Bush's administration, two U.S. officials said.

 

Trump's actions could further test relations with Mexico.

 

The wall plan has infuriated Mexicans. Trump's policies, including his demand that the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada be renegotiated or scrapped, have put Mexico's government on the defensive. Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto are due to meet next week.

 

Amid media reports that Pena Nieto was considering cancelling his Trump visit over the wall announcement, some opposition Mexican politicians urged him to pull out.

 

FEDERAL FUNDING

 

Officials in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Washington, San Francisco and Seattle offer some forms of protection to illegal immigrants. Billions of dollars in federal aid to those cities, often governed by Democrats, could be at risk under Trump's move.

 

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Trump said construction on the wall would start within months, with planning starting immediately, and that Mexico would pay back to the United States "100 percent" of the costs. Mexican officials have said they will not pay for the wall.

 

The White House said Trump's goal was to get the wall started as quickly as possible using existing government funds and then work with the Republican-led Congress on further appropriations.

 

Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration a key element of his presidential campaign, with supporters at his rallies often chanting: "Build the wall."

 

The cost, nature and extent of the wall remain unclear. Trump last year put the cost at "probably $8 billion," although other estimates are higher, and he said the wall would span 1,000 miles (1,600 km) because of the terrain of the border.

 

Trump's directives would end the practice known by critics as "catch and release" in which authorities apprehend illegal immigrants on U.S. territory but do not immediately detain or deport them.

 

The directives also include hiring 5,000 more U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents used to apprehend people seeking to slip across the border and tripling the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents used to arrest and deport immigrants living in the United States illegally.

 

They also create more detention space for illegal immigrants along the southern border to make it easier to detain and deport them.

 

The intent of the proposals regarding refugees and immigrants from the seven Muslim-majority nations is to head off Islamist violence in the United States.

 

The draft directive on immigration also suspends the U.S. refugee program for four months while determining whether permanent changes to the system are needed.

 

"These orders are a disturbing confirmation of Islamophobic and un-American policy proposals made during the presidential election campaign," Council on American-Islamic Relations Executive Director Nihad Awad said.

 

On the campaign trail, Trump proposed a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, which he said would protect Americans from jihadist attacks like those targeting European cities. He later said the restrictions would target countries known to be sources of terrorism.

 

(Reporting by Julia Edwards Ainsley; Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg, Jonathan Landay, Mark Hosenball, Doina Chiacu, Andy Sullivan and Susan Heavey; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-01-26

[ezzra]

The man is actually putting his money where is mouth is, whether anything

positive will come out of it all remain to be seen....

[pitrevie]

37 minutes ago, ezzra said:

The man is actually putting his money where is mouth is, whether anything

positive will come out of it all remain to be seen....

 

I think he is putting USA taxpayers money where is mouth is. However like all those executive orders I am sure we are going to get the same uproar when we see how government spending is increasing and out of control or not as the case may be.

[taichiplanet]

A win-win as it will increase employment on both sides of the fence; Americans building the wall and Mexicans building tunnels under it! :D

[jlwilliamsjr18]

A foolish and primitive endeavor...Xenophobia driven and will accomplish nothing. 

[teatree]

18 minutes ago, jlwilliamsjr18 said:

A foolish and primitive endeavor...Xenophobia driven and will accomplish nothing. 

Then every country in the world is xenophobic. 

 

I wish there were no need for borders and visas but in the real world there is.  I went to India last year and I needed a (very expensive) visa.  I don't like having to do this but I accept there is a logic and reason for it.

 

What is wrong with enforcing a border and issuing work visas as and when needed?  I'm not sure a border fence is practical given the vast distance but if it is then I just see it as common sense.

 

The EU has a land border with Morocco and has very tall fence to keep out economic migrants.  Don't remember anyone calling them out for being xenophobic:

[hansnl]

55 minutes ago, jlwilliamsjr18 said:

A foolish and primitive endeavor...Xenophobia driven and will accomplish nothing. 

And what will doing nothing accomplish?

Uncontrolled "immigration" is a bad thing, as in Europe where the Islamic terror is changing the culture and freedom of countries.

If control on who is entering a country, returning illegals and deporting unwanted persons or groups of persons is xenophobic, well, I am for it.

 

[jackh]

There you have it. How many "politicians" ever kept their campaign promises? You don't even 1 hand to count them.

 

In less than 1 week Trump has gone whole hog knocking out every promise he has made. THAT is the difference between politician work verses a real businessman work. Trump is the real deal dedicated to getting the USA back on track and in harmony with it's people's interests.

 

Now you all can move on and start complaining (phase 2), why the wall won't work, it costs too much, etc. Fact it, he is putting MY money into America and it is all well spent. At least it is being spent in America now. I have complete confidence in his decisions and budget spending.

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“A nation without borders is not a nation.

Notice to Japan, UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc. - you are not nations.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

We are in the middle of a crisis on our southern border

Where departure of illegal immigrants out of the US exceeds entrance into the US.

[Thakkar]

2 hours ago, taichiplanet said:

A win-win as it will increase employment on both sides of the fence; Americans building the wall and Mexicans building tunnels under it! :D

This whole Trump election is a plot by Big Ladder, who have all their factories in Mexico, to increase their ladder sales. Wake up sheeple!

[i claudius]

51 minutes ago, bandito said:

 

Nobody in Holland was wecoming the German invaders of, as you call it, the Third Reich.

This is a very grave insult and requires an apology to hansnl.
Shame on you!

Actually he should get a ban , its disgusting what he said ,

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Mexican officials have said they will not pay for the wall.

If a wall could be built around Trump instead, Mexico will spare no expense.

[55Jay]

I'm hot and cold on Trump, have been since he secured the R nomination and continued rambling and hurling insults around.  He really lost me when he embraced the religious voting bloc (sans the Mormons apparently) and all their baggage. 

 

But, this is one effort I've always been behind, critics be dam_ned.  I never cared much about the "Mexico will pay for it" bumper sticker slogan either.  We need to do it regardless, and should have a long time ago.

[Rimmer]

An inflammatory post and one reply has been removed

[Tug]

It's all theater the Mexicans aren't going to pay the tax payers aren't going to pay its all chump oops I mean trump speech 

[Estrada]

The Romans built Hadrian's wall to keep the Scots out of England and the rest of the Roman Empire.... It failed!

[ilostmypassword]

9 minutes ago, Tug said:

It's all theater the Mexicans aren't going to pay the tax payers aren't going to pay its all chump oops I mean trump speech 

And, of course, if Trump goes ahead with pulling out of Nafta, the Mexicans have hinted that they wil no longer hinder Central Americans trying to cross the border into the USA.

[Bung]

Aren't most of the Mexicans tunneling into the US? 

[Enoon]

 

No walls, no laws, no wars will stop the 2 million years old, inexorable, migration of peoples.

 

The only thing that will stop them is the certain knowledge that where they are going is worse than where they came from.

 

Paradoxically Trump, and those like him in other countries, is working to establish that reality.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Enoon

[Andaman Al]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“We’re joined here this afternoon by parents whose children were horribly killed by individuals living here illegally.

Good job he didn't fill the room with parents whose children were horribly killed by people living in the US Legally! He may have needed a football stadium.

[Ace of Pop]

And up North ,Canada is reacting to Yanks .


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[IMA_FARANG]

Not my President

[Rhys]

Show time...

[Opl]

US citizens of Mexican roots who voted for Trump should raise funds to contribute and pay their fare share of  the " great wall" costs.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Opl

[dcutman]

1 minute ago, IMA_FARANG said:

Not my President

If you are not an American.

If you are I got some news for ya.

[JHolmesJr]

a promise made….a promise kept.

 

Thank you Donald.

[ilostmypassword]

11 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

a promise made….a promise kept.

 

Thank you Donald.

Rather, a promise not yet broken. The executive order is a meaningless gesture.

[dcutman]

5 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

The executive order is a meaningless gesture.

Its only meaningless when you are on the way out of office. Its a powerful tool when you have 4, possibly 8 more years in front of you.

Edited January 26, 2017 by dcutman

[pitrevie]

31 minutes ago, dcutman said:

If you are not an American.

If you are I got some news for ya.

 

But wasn't that the constant refrain from a huge section of the USA for the past 8 years including the present incumbent who doubted Obama's  legitimacy right up until the last few months. Different songbook now is it?