Says Mexico Will Pay ‘In Some Form’
During a meeting with reporters at Camp David on Saturday, Donald Trump confirmed his intent to hold DACA recipients hostage to obtain funding for his border wall.
In September, Donald Trump and his administration announced their decision to kill the immigration program designed to protect undocumented immigrants brought into the United States by their parents as children. Around 800,000 DREAMers were affected.
The president advised he had “no second thoughts†on the decision.
On Saturday, a reporter inquired about the program. “I can say some of the basics,†Trump responded. “The wall’s gonna happen or we’re not gonna have DACA. We want to get rid of chain migration, very important, and we want to get rid of the lottery system.â€
Watch:
“We want DACA to happen,†Trump continued. “We all want DACA to happen. But we all want great security for our country. We want to stop the drugs from flowing in, very important.â€
The president subsequently muttered one of his favorite phrases, mirroring the launch of his campaign, noting that “they’re not sending us their finest.â€
The conversation turned to the wall in a follow-up, in which the president was asked if additional efforts had been made to have Mexico pay for the proposed wall. “I believe that Mexico will pay for the wall,†Trump said. “I have a very good relationship with Mexico… Mexico will pay, in some form, Mexico will pay for the wall.â€
You can watch the exchange below:
On Friday, the Trump administration asked Congress for $18 billion for the wall. As USA Today reported:
Trump’s administration asked Congress on Friday to set aside that amount over the next 10 years to build or extend the nearly 700-mile barrier that became a signature 2016 presidential campaign pledge.
The estimate is the most detailed accounting yet of how much it will cost to make the border wall a reality.
The proposal by Customs and Border Protection calls for 316 miles of additional barrier by September 2027, bringing total coverage to 970 miles, or nearly half the border, according to the Associated Press, citing an unnamed U.S. official with direct knowledge of the matter.
It also calls for 407 miles of replacement or secondary fencing, said the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public.
Mexico will not pay for the wall—at this point, American citizens will. And when it comes to DACA, Senator Elizabeth Warren may have put it best:
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