On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing a wall to be built along America’s southern border. In addition, he banned “catch-and-release” of illegal aliens and took steps to limit sanctuary cities.
In a Wednesday interview with ABC news, Trump promised that “construction of the border wall will begin in months.” He also affirmed the fact that Mexico will pay for the wall. He claimed that U.S. taxpayers will front the cost, being reimbursed by Mexico later on, saying: “I’m telling you that there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form.”
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, who is planning to meet president Trump at the White House next week, disagreed. He said that they will discuss trade, immigration, and many other issues. However, Nieto has maintained that Mexico will not be paying for the border wall.
Because immigration was Trump’s keynote issue, approving the wall is certainly a step in the right direction towards ending illegal immigration.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed an amnesty bill, pledging to secure the border. Reagan failed to keep this pledge and since then, almost 30 years later, no president has come close to securing the border adequately.
Building a wall would make a concrete and physical border, preventing illegal immigrants from crossing the border illegally. It’s excellent that Trump has decided to keep his campaign promise to build a big, beautiful wall.
Another crucial aspect of the immigration debate is sanctuary cities — municipalities where local law enforcement officials decline to enforce federal immigration law. On Wednesday, Trump signed another executive order to limit sanctuary cities. This is important because the law should be enforced. Although local and state officials have the right to refuse to enforce federal law, the Trump administration has the right to withhold funding until they enforce the law.
In addition to these measures, it would be great to see an expansion of eVerify, an online system for verifying that employees are in the country legally. Some states have mandated eVerify, but it has yet to be adopted in a national level. If it becomes more widely used, it could prevent those who are in the country illegally from being hired by participating employers. This is key because if only those in the country legally could get a job, it would decrease the incentive to jump the border.
Another important measure President Trump could implement would be a ban on illegal aliens taking advantage of welfare programs. Many states allow illegal aliens to utilize programs such as welfare and food stamps. Of course, these states have the right to do that. However, Trump has the right to withhold federal funding until they stop. Taking this action would further decrease the incentive to illegally cross the U.S. border.
Today is a great day for Americans who believe in the rule of law. President Trump is taking steps to strengthen national security and stop the flow of guns and drugs across the porous southern border. So, let’s prepare for the wall.
