Trump threatens to completely close southern border as early as next week if Mexico doesn’t stop ‘illegal immigration’

Christ Chavez/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) —  President Donald Trump on Friday again threatened to completely close the southern border or “large” sections of it if Mexico doesn’t stop migrants from crossing into the U.S. without authorization — a move that could come as early as next week.

“If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States through our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week,” the President tweeted. 

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….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2019

….the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week. 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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2019

The president first renewed the threat on Twitter and later told reporters he’s “not playing games” while pledging to close the Southern border “for a long time” if Mexico doesn’t act to prevent people from crossing the border into the United States.

“Mexico’s tough. They can stop them, but they chose not to. Now they’re going to stop them. If they don’t stop them, we’re closing the border,” Trump told reporters in Florida. “And we’ll keep it closed for a long time. I’m not playing games. Mexico has to stop it. They have people coming right through Mexico.”

Mexico tops the list of U.S. trading partners, according to the U.S. trade office. The southern neighbor ranked as the second largest U.S. goods export market in 2017.

U.S. border authorities are predicting the number of undocumented migrants stopped at the southern border could reach as high as 1 million by the end of the year — potentially twice as many as last year’s level and a 140 percent increase over his first year in office.

It’s not the first time Trump has threatened to close the southern border. After a surge of migrants attempting to enter San Diego in November 2018, the president responded with similar threats.

At the time, economics and border-area business leaders worried about the financial damage closing the border could inflict.

While Mexico would see a proportionally greater impact, a border closure could also increase inflation and unemployment rates in the U.S., according to Moody’s Analytics analysis.

 On Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asked Congress for new authority to expedite the return of undocumented migrant children who cross the southern border. Nielsen justified the request saying children in DHS custody are at risk because the department can’t transfer them quickly enough to refugee shelters, which have reached max capacity.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson contended that Nielsen, “continues to confuse and mislead on the situation at the border and how we got to this point.”

“President Trump’s border security and immigration policies have failed, and the Administration deserves much of the blame for making the difficult situation at the border worse,” Thompson, D-Miss., said. “Not once in her four-page letter did the Secretary acknowledge the Department is continuing to block families trying to present themselves at ports of entry, pushing them to areas between the ports of entry and adding additional stress to our border and immigration system.”

Thompson complained that the administration is “singularly fixated” on the President’s border wall, declaring that Democrats “will not allow President Trump or his Administration to continue to further his anti-immigrant, xenophobic agenda.”

Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on email
Email
Share on print
Print