Donald Trump’s TV address
FULL TEXT: Donald Trump’s TV address to make his case for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border
(https://globalnews.ca/news/4828891/full-text-donald-trumps-tv-address-border-wall-case/)
THE PRESIDENT:
My fellow Americans: Tonight, I am speaking to you because there is a
growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border.
Every
day, Customs and Border Patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal
immigrants trying to enter our country. We are out of space to hold
them, and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their
country.
America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants
who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. But all Americans
are hurt by uncontrolled, illegal migration. It strains public
resources and drives down jobs and wages. Among those hardest hit are
African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Our southern border is a
pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin,
cocaine, and fentanyl. Every week, 300 of our citizens are killed by
heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across from our southern
border. More Americans will die from drugs this year than were killed
in the entire Vietnam War.
In
the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with
criminal records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000
assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings. Over the
years, thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who
illegally entered our country, and thousands more lives will be lost if
we don’t act right now.
This is a humanitarian crisis — a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.
Last
month, 20,000 migrant children were illegally brought into the United
States — a dramatic increase. These children are used as human pawns by
vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs. One in three women are sexually
assaulted on the dangerous trek up through Mexico. Women and children
are the biggest victims, by far, of our broken system.
This is the
tragic reality of illegal immigration on our southern border. This is
the cycle of human suffering that I am determined to end.
My
administration has presented Congress with a detailed proposal to
secure the border and stop the criminal gangs, drug smugglers, and human
traffickers. It’s a tremendous problem. Our proposal was developed by
law enforcement professionals and border agents at the Department of
Homeland Security. These are the resources they have requested to
properly perform their mission and keep America safe. In fact, safer
than ever before.
The proposal from Homeland Security includes
cutting-edge technology for detecting drugs, weapons, illegal
contraband, and many other things. We have requested more agents,
immigration judges, and bed space to process the sharp rise in unlawful
migration fueled by our very strong economy. Our plan also contains an
urgent request for humanitarian assistance and medical support.
Furthermore,
we have asked Congress to close border security loopholes so that
illegal immigrant children can be safely and humanely returned back
home.
Finally,
as part of an overall approach to border security, law enforcement
professionals have requested $5.7 billion for a physical barrier. At
the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a
concrete wall. This barrier is absolutely critical to border security.
It’s also what our professionals at the border want and need. This is
just common sense.
The border wall would very quickly pay for
itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion a year — vastly
more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress. The wall
will also be paid for, indirectly, by the great new trade deal we have
made with Mexico.
Senator Chuck Schumer — who you will be hearing
from later tonight — has repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the
past, along with many other Democrats. They changed their mind only
after I was elected President.
Democrats in Congress have refused
to acknowledge the crisis. And they have refused to provide our brave
border agents with the tools they desperately need to protect our
families and our nation.
The federal government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security.
My
administration is doing everything in our power to help those impacted
by the situation. But the only solution is for Democrats to pass a
spending bill that defends our borders and re-opens the government.
This
situation could be solved in a 45-minute meeting. I have invited
Congressional leadership to the White House tomorrow to get this done.
Hopefully, we can rise above partisan politics in order to support
national security.
Some have suggested a barrier is immoral. Then
why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences, and gates around their
homes? They don’t build walls because they hate the people on the
outside, but because they love the people on the inside. The only thing
that is immoral is the politicians to do nothing and continue to allow
more innocent people to be so horribly victimized.
America’s heart
broke the day after Christmas when a young police officer in California
was savagely murdered in cold blood by an illegal alien, who just came
across the border. The life of an American hero was stolen by someone
who had no right to be in our country.
Day
after day, precious lives are cut short by those who have violated our
borders. In California, an Air Force veteran was raped, murdered, and
beaten to death with a hammer by an illegal alien with a long criminal
history. In Georgia, an illegal alien was recently charged with murder
for killing, beheading, and dismembering his neighbor. In Maryland,
MS-13 gang members who arrived in the United States as unaccompanied
minors were arrested and charged last year after viciously stabbing and
beating a 16-year-old girl.
Over the last several years, I’ve met
with dozens of families whose loved ones were stolen by illegal
immigration. I’ve held the hands of the weeping mothers and embraced
the grief-stricken fathers. So sad. So terrible. I will never forget
the pain in their eyes, the tremble in their voices, and the sadness
gripping their souls.
How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job?
To
those who refuse to compromise in the name of border security, I would
ask: Imagine if it was your child, your husband, or your wife whose life
was so cruelly shattered and totally broken?
To every member of Congress: Pass a bill that ends this crisis.
To every citizen: Call Congress and tell them to finally, after all of these decades, secure our border.
This
is a choice between right and wrong, justice and injustice. This is
about whether we fulfill our sacred duty to the American citizens we
serve.
When I took the Oath of Office, I swore to protect our country. And that is what I will always do, so help me God.
Thank you and goodnight.
