Trump to fulfill Campaign promise; signs executive order to build wall between Mexico and US
(Modified from The Independent)– Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security that calls for a “large physical barrier” between the US and Mexico.
Mr Trump signed two executive actions that would direct DHS to build the wall, increase the number of border patrol agents, and increase the rate of deportation of undocumented immigrations.
The President signed the orders during a visit to DHS headquarters, the agency that will oversee the actions.
“As soon as we can, as soon as we can physically do it,” he told ABC News. “I would say in months, yeah. I would say in months — certainly planning is starting immediately.”
Mr Trump added that US taxpayers will fund the wall, but claimed that they will be “reimbursed” by Mexico. He did not explain how.
“All it is, is we’ll be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we make from Mexico,” he said.
“I’m just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form. What I’m doing is good for the United States. It’s also going to be good for Mexico. We want to have a very stable, very solid Mexico.”
Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that Mexico will pay “one way or another”.
It remains unclear how Mr Trump’s border wall initiative will differ from the heavily militarised barrier that already exists at urban centres along the boundary.
Despite Mr Trump’s countless claims that undocumented immigrants are flooding into the US from Mexico, there is only evidence to the contrary.
According to Pew Research data, migration flows from Mexico have been negative since 2008, indicating that Mexicans are leaving the US rather than entering.
