Trump To Use Fence Funding To Start Building The Wall

3/26/2018
SAAGAR ENJETI

President Donald Trump can use recently allocated funding for border security to begin building his proposed wall along the US-Mexico border, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said Monday morning.

(video may be viewed at source link)

Confusion has surrounded the $1.6 billion allocated by Congress in its recent spending bill, of which only approximately $650 million can actually be used to bolster existing fencing along the border.

“The speaker told us you can use concrete,” Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy posed to Gidley. “Senator Schumer says you can’t. Only improve the fence. What are you saying there? You can use it?”

Gidley responded “It’s my understanding you can,” noting that the “Hispanic caucus came out vehemently against this bill for two reasons.”


“One is because in the letter they wrote to the president it bolsters the president’s deportation force, quote unquote, and it builds a wall.”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders noted after the passage of the spending bill Wednesday that “100 miles” of new wall had been authorized by Congress.



Sarah Sanders
✔
@PressSec
.@POTUS talked w/ @SpeakerRyan & @SenateMajLdr about priorities secured in the omnibus, which all support, especially more $ to rebuild military (largest pay raise for troops in decade),more than 100 miles of new border wall, $ to fight opioid crisis & rebuild our infrastructure
12:05 PM - Mar 21, 2018

The $650 million in funding however pales to the $25 billion President Donald Trump has repeatedly requested for his signature campaign promise. To circumvent Congress’s lack of funding the President has also proposed using funding allocated for the U.S. military in order to fund the walls construction.



Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Because of the $700 & $716 Billion Dollars gotten to rebuild our Military, many jobs are created and our Military is again rich. Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense. Build WALL through M!
3:33 AM - Mar 25, 2018




Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Much can be done with the $1.6 Billion given to building and fixing the border wall. It is just a down payment. Work will start immediately. The rest of the money will come - and remember DACA, the Democrats abandoned you (but we will not)!
3:42 AM - Mar 25, 2018

http://dailycaller.com/2018/03/26/tr...buil-the-wall/

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“One is because in the letter they wrote to the president it bolsters the president’s deportation force, quote unquote, and it builds a wall.”

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Is that true? I was not aware the omnibus spending bill did anything to create nor bolster the "deportation force" Trump promised us that has never materialized.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Is that true? I was not aware the omnibus spending bill did anything to create nor bolster the "deportation force" Trump promised us that has never materialized.

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I think they are talking about the extra ICE agents Trump was requesting funding for. The Hispanic caucus wasn't having none of that. Maybe it was the Hispanic caucus opposition that kept the extra ICE agent funding out of the bill. The Hispanic caucus considers ICE agents as the deportation force. Well, anyway that's my best guess.

From United We Dream
========================

Congress Fuels Trump’s Mass Deportation Force With Spending Bill

SHERIDAN AGUIRRE MARCH 22, 2018 PRESS RELEASES

“Republicans and Democrats should resist Trump’s political hit men, not give them billions.”

For Immediate Release

Media Contacts:
Bruna Bouhid | bruna@unitedwedream.org | 202.850.0812
Sheridan Aguirre | sheridan@unitedwedream.org | 202.793.2267
Texas: Chris Valdez | chris@unitedwedream.org | 713.352.8197

Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives voted for a massive federal spending bill for the 2018 fiscal year.

The bill includes dangerous increases in funding to deport more people, house more human beings in detention camps and further militarize our border communities. It also fails to solve the humanitarian crisis that Trump created when he killed the DACA and TPS programs.

Greisa Martinez Rosas, Deputy Executive Director at United We Dream and potential Dream Act beneficiary, said:

“Republicans and Democrats should resist Trump’s political hit men, not give them billions. This spending bill fuels Trump’s mass deportation force and all Members of Congress should have voted it down.

“Republicans have prevented legislation from passing which would create a pathway to citizenship for me and millions of others. This spending bill pumps billions more to agents who board busses to ask citizens and non-citizens alike for their papers, who mock and retaliate against local elected officials who are trying to protect their residents and who patrol border communities with guns and a political mission.

“Many of our families fled countries where political hit men like Trump’s deportation force ran wild over people declared enemies of the state. Trump made more people vulnerable to his agents by killing DACA and TPS and this bill did nothing to protect us.

“While some elected officials stood strong in opposing this spending bill, too many voted to build up the deportation force.

“Immigrant youth are organizing in cities all across the country to protect our people and we call on elected officials at the state and local levels to take immediate action in your localities to resist Trump’s political hit men before it is too late.”

Betsy Garcia, a leader with the San Diego Dream Team, a local affiliate group of United We Dream, said:

“Giving Trump and his anti-immigrant administration $1.6 billion dollars for additional fencing in the southern border will not make our communities safer. Our border cities are already highly militarized and have thousands of deportation agents who are able to stop, frisk and interrogate us on a whim.

“Immigrant youth across the country won’t forget those who vote against us and we will continue to mobilize our community and allies to ensure defunding these deportation agencies is a top priority for elected officials everywhere.

“Over a hundred immigrant youth leaders from the western states are gathering right now to train our young leaders how to best protect our people back home. We won’t stop fighting until all immigrants can live and thrive without the fear of deportation.”

###United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation, a powerful network made up of over 400,000 members and 48 affiliate organizations across 26 states. UWD’s vision is to build a multi-racial, multi-ethnic movement of young people who organize and advocate at the local and national levels for the dignity and justice of immigrants and communities of color in the United States.

https://unitedwedream.org/2018/03/co...spending-bill/

"It also fails to solve the humanitarian crisis that Trump created when he killed the DACA and TPS programs. "

-------------------------------------

NO!!! Their OWN countries FAILED to solve their OWN humanitarian crisis on their OWN soil. WE did not create this...THEY did. And we are not the dumping ground for the entire World. We have been used and abused and dumped on for far too long!

Ramp up deportations and set a quota of 5,000 per WEEK. Start deporting TPS, it is TEMPORARY...not a free pass to stay as long as "you like"! Ungrateful leeches...should have never taken them to begin with. No good deed goes unpunished! Well we have been punished long enough with our generosity and it is costing us a fortune. NO MORE!

It is NOT the responsibility of the USA or it's taxpayers to continue to take in millions upon millions of refugees, illegal aliens, TPS and their breeding poor!

Go have a meeting with these countries, give them a "Comprehensive Plan for Reform" and CUT OFF the US taxpayer ATM machine!

Taking in all these people, WE do not want, and giving their countries OUR money has solved nothing!

Defund and TERMINATE the refugee, asylum and TPS programs.

Cut off ALL taxpayer funded benefits to illegal aliens including school and medical care. Make them self deport.

THE TIME IS NOW...TO RAMP UP DEPORTATIONS AND THESE PEOPLE GO HOME AND SOLVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS.

THEY HAVE WORN OUT THEIR WELCOME AND NOW THEY PROTEST AND MOUTH OFF IN OUR STREETS. GO HOME AND MOUTH OFF IN YOURS AND TAKE YOUR FLAG WITH YOU :evil:

WE WANT THIS STOPPED NOW! NOT CONTINUE ONE MORE DAY, NOT ANOTHER 10 YEARS OR 50 YEARS!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

From United We Dream
========================

Congress Fuels Trump’s Mass Deportation Force With Spending Bill

SHERIDAN AGUIRRE MARCH 22, 2018 PRESS RELEASES

“Republicans and Democrats should resist Trump’s political hit men, not give them billions.”

For Immediate Release

Media Contacts:
Bruna Bouhid | bruna@unitedwedream.org | 202.850.0812
Sheridan Aguirre | sheridan@unitedwedream.org | 202.793.2267
Texas: Chris Valdez | chris@unitedwedream.org | 713.352.8197

Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives voted for a massive federal spending bill for the 2018 fiscal year.

The bill includes dangerous increases in funding to deport more people, house more human beings in detention camps and further militarize our border communities. It also fails to solve the humanitarian crisis that Trump created when he killed the DACA and TPS programs.

Greisa Martinez Rosas, Deputy Executive Director at United We Dream and potential Dream Act beneficiary, said:

“Republicans and Democrats should resist Trump’s political hit men, not give them billions. This spending bill fuels Trump’s mass deportation force and all Members of Congress should have voted it down.

“Republicans have prevented legislation from passing which would create a pathway to citizenship for me and millions of others. This spending bill pumps billions more to agents who board busses to ask citizens and non-citizens alike for their papers, who mock and retaliate against local elected officials who are trying to protect their residents and who patrol border communities with guns and a political mission.

“Many of our families fled countries where political hit men like Trump’s deportation force ran wild over people declared enemies of the state. Trump made more people vulnerable to his agents by killing DACA and TPS and this bill did nothing to protect us.

“While some elected officials stood strong in opposing this spending bill, too many voted to build up the deportation force.

“Immigrant youth are organizing in cities all across the country to protect our people and we call on elected officials at the state and local levels to take immediate action in your localities to resist Trump’s political hit men before it is too late.”

Betsy Garcia, a leader with the San Diego Dream Team, a local affiliate group of United We Dream, said:

“Giving Trump and his anti-immigrant administration $1.6 billion dollars for additional fencing in the southern border will not make our communities safer. Our border cities are already highly militarized and have thousands of deportation agents who are able to stop, frisk and interrogate us on a whim.

“Immigrant youth across the country won’t forget those who vote against us and we will continue to mobilize our community and allies to ensure defunding these deportation agencies is a top priority for elected officials everywhere.

“Over a hundred immigrant youth leaders from the western states are gathering right now to train our young leaders how to best protect our people back home. We won’t stop fighting until all immigrants can live and thrive without the fear of deportation.”

###United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation, a powerful network made up of over 400,000 members and 48 affiliate organizations across 26 states. UWD’s vision is to build a multi-racial, multi-ethnic movement of young people who organize and advocate at the local and national levels for the dignity and justice of immigrants and communities of color in the United States.

https://unitedwedream.org/2018/03/co...spending-bill/

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This article is full of dishonesty and deceit! Those quoted in the article are attempting to make the 1.6 million funding something it's not. Of course I guess it should come as no surprise considering the source. Everyone has an agenda. :roll:

The following article disputes much of the information in the United We Dream article:

Spending Bill Does Not Fund 1,000 New Deportation Agents Trump Requested

199

http://media.breitbart.com/media/201...ce-640x480.jpgJohn Moore/Getty
by JOHN BINDER23 Mar 2018Washington, D.C.964

The omnibus spending bill passed by the Republican-controlled House and Senate does not fund the 1,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that President Trump requested last year.

According to a summary of the spending bill, ICE will be restricted to hiring only “65 additional law enforcement officers,” a drastically lower amount than the 1,000 ICE deportation officers that Trump had asked the Republican Congress to fund.

Likewise, the spending bill does not meet Trump’s previous requirements when it comes to hiring new Border Patrol agents. For example, Trump requested “$300 million to recruit, hire, and train 500 new Border Patrol Agents” last year.

The spending bill, though, only funds $7 million to hire about 350 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) “law enforcement officers” who may not end up being trained as Border Patrol agents.

The lack of funding for ICE and Border Patrol is likely to result in continued pressure and strain on the federal immigration agencies. Both agencies have been under-funded for years while trying to detain the increased number of illegal aliens crossing the southern border every day, and also attempting to find, arrest, and deport the 12 to 30 million illegal aliens currently living in the U.S.

Trump’s lack of increased border and interior immigration enforcement funding through the spending bill may translate into continued stagnant wages for American workers, whose pay has been flat-lined by a continued flow of cheap, illegal and legal immigrant workers.

As Breitbart News reported, the spending bill will also increase the number of illegal aliens who are released into the U.S. through the Catch and Release program that has yet to end.

Additionally, the spending bill bans Trump from being able to build a wall along the southern border using the prototype walls that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) commissioned.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...ump-requested/

TRUMP HAS THE BUDGET TO DEPLOY THE NATIONAL GUARD...NOW GET IT DONE!!!



The National Guard serves a dual role. Most of the time, it’s under the control of individual states, with the state governor acting as commander in chief. However, the president can activate the National Guard and place it under federal control.

When this occurs, guard units are used to supplement the regular Army, bolstering its forces with additional combat units.

Soldiers in the National Guard train one weekend each month, with one two-week training period each year.

They’re typically called into action by a state governor, who can send them to the site of any officially declared emergency in the state. This is usually a weather-related emergency, but civil unrest or terrorist attacks are other emergencies they may respond to.

Guard troops can also be used for security details at borders and airports. While state governors command their state’s guard troops, each state has an adjutant general who acts as a liaison, interpreting the governor’s orders into specific tactical decisions.

Let the National Guard assist ICE at the border. Let ICE arrest illegals and the National Guard transport them to the border and hand them OVER to the Mexican authorities!

No more detention...deport within 24 hours...and their minor's!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beezer

TRUMP HAS THE BUDGET TO DEPLOY THE NATIONAL GUARD...NOW GET IT DONE!!!



The National Guard serves a dual role. Most of the time, it’s under the control of individual states, with the state governor acting as commander in chief. However, the president can activate the National Guard and place it under federal control.

When this occurs, guard units are used to supplement the regular Army, bolstering its forces with additional combat units.

Soldiers in the National Guard train one weekend each month, with one two-week training period each year.

They’re typically called into action by a state governor, who can send them to the site of any officially declared emergency in the state. This is usually a weather-related emergency, but civil unrest or terrorist attacks are other emergencies they may respond to.

Guard troops can also be used for security details at borders and airports. While state governors command their state’s guard troops, each state has an adjutant general who acts as a liaison, interpreting the governor’s orders into specific tactical decisions.

Let the National Guard assist ICE at the border. Let ICE arrest illegals and the National Guard transport them to the border and hand them OVER to the Mexican authorities!

No more detention...deport within 24 hours...and their minor's!

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This was done in 2006 through 2008. It was George W. Bush administration's Operation Jump Start. Considering the limited role the NG could play, the operation wasn't considered very successful, especially where costs were concerned.

information source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/national-guard-deployment-on-us-mexico-border-has-mixed-results/2011/11/21/gIQAly6qXO_story.html?utm_term=.a603ee3d1599

They can play a big role transporting them to the border! They do not have authority to arrest them. Let ICE arrest them and process them, let the guard load them up on a bus and dump them back over the border.

Why should ICE waste their time driving the bus? They should hand them over then get back on the front line and get more of them.

The National Guard can also start clearing them out of the detention centers. How many NG will it take? 1,000 of them???

No funds to hire more ICE...more than one way to skin a cat! Deploy the NG to fill the role and ASSIST in deportations.

George Bush could not find his way out of a wet paper bag. The NG was not used efficiently, Trump needs to get this done and do it now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beezer

They can play a big role transporting them to the border! They do not have authority to arrest them. Let ICE arrest them and process them, let the guard load them up on a bus and dump them back over the border. . .

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That works for illegal aliens from Canada and Mexico.

Not so much for illegal aliens from China or Africa.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

That works for illegal aliens from Canada and Mexico.

Not so much for illegal aliens from China or Africa.

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We need all the help we can get...most are from Mexico. The rest they can fly the hell out of here and load the plane full.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beezer

. . . Why should ICE waste their time driving the bus? They should hand them over then get back on the front line and get more of them. . .

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I.C.E. often uses chartered buses to transport deportees to the border. Driven by an employee of the bus company.
=======================================

Transportation
Mexicans caught illegally crossing the border for the first time are returned almost immediately because of proximity. Those who are from places other than Mexico wait in detention until transportation is arranged to take them back to their home country.

In addition to chartered and commercial buses, detainees are also transported by ICE Air Operations. These chartered planes can hold up to 135 deportees and most flights travel to the Caribbean and Central and South America.

"For Dominicans and Jamaicans there's one flight a month," Golash-Boza said. "Chinese deportees must travel on an American carrier and be accompanied by two marshals, who then must return, driving up the cost."

Some undocumented immigrants may come from countries that don't cooperate with U.S. immigration officials, meaning they may end up stranded in detention for months or years, Golash-Boza said.

ICE said it cost an average of $1,978 in fiscal 2016 to transport each deportee to their home country. It would not provide any further detail.
=============================

@ How much it costs ICE to deport an undocumented immigrant

by Octavio Blanco @CNNMoneyApril 13, 2017: 10:04 AM ET

President Trump has said he wants to deport two to three million criminal undocumented immigrants. While it's unclear where he got that figure from, achieving his goal won't come cheap.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is one of two agencies within the Department of Homeland Security that's already playing a pivotal role in enacting Trump's mission. One of ICE's main jobs is to apprehend undocumented immigrants who have received their final deportation orders or who have failed to report to the agency as instructed.

During fiscal 2016, ICE spent $3.2 billion to identify, arrest, detain and remove undocumented immigrants, according to the Department of Homeland Security. ICE handled some 240,000 of the roughly 450,000 total deportations that took place last year. (Customs and Border Patrol was responsible for the rest. It also arrests and deports undocumented immigrants, but mainly as they try to enter the U.S.)
Each deportation conducted by ICE cost taxpayers an average of $10,854 in fiscal 2016, an official from the agency told CNNMoney.

This amount includes everything from housing and feeding a detainee to transporting him back to his home country.

Related: New York to provide lawyers for immigrants facing deportation

Here's how the experts break down the costs:
Apprehension

Last year, the majority of ICE's removals -- 175,000 -- happened at the border or a port of entry. The remaining deportations occurred either because ICE agents conducted their own investigation or they relied heavily on local police forces. In 2016, ICE spent $129.4 million to identify and apprehend what the agency refers to as immigration fugitives.

Many city, county, and state law enforcement agencies coordinate the release of undocumented immigrants with ICE after arresting them for other offenses like traffic violations. This helps bring costs down dramatically, said Doris Meissner, director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute and a former commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Related: Blocking funds from sanctuary cities easier said than done

"Typically, ICE officers are in county jails where they easily take criminal immigrants into custody once they've served their sentences," she said.

ICE's Fugitive Operations, which conducts its own investigations and raids, was responsible for a smaller number of arrests last year.

According to TRAC, a database of information on the staffing, spending and enforcement activities of the federal government run by Syracuse University, about 15,000 arrests were made this way.

This is costly, however, because ICE will send "a team of six to 12 officers to a person's house and bang on the door all day," said Tanya Golash-Boza, a professor at the University of California, Merced, who specializes in deportation research. "And it's not just the raid itself, they had to spend hours preparing, investigating, stakeouts. It all adds up."

Detention
Detaining undocumented immigrants is the most expensive part of the deportation process because it entails providing food, shelter, medical treatment and other necessities.

According to DHS, ICE operates 112 of its own detention facilities in the U.S. It also works with roughly 500 other state and local jails, as well as private prisons, to detain deportees, reports TRAC.

In 2014, the average cost to hold one deportee in a federal detention center was $5,633, according to the Center for American Progress, a left leaning think tank. The average stay: 31 days.

And some costs have been on the rise. Last year, ICE spent an additional $345 million to accommodate "the surge in families with children crossing the U.S. southern border illegally," according to the DHS. Families in detention require specialized services, including education for school-aged children.

Related: Without immigrants, U.S. workforce would shrink dramatically

While some undocumented immigrants are detained for a matter of days, others can wait months -- or even years -- before they go before a judge or get sent back to their home country.

One reason: there isn't enough staff to handle the caseload, said Golash-Boza.

On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a group of Customs and Border Protection personnel in Nogales, Arizona, that the Department of Justice will add 50 more immigration judges this year and 75 the following year. He also plans to streamline hiring, to reduce immigration court backlogs.

Legal processing
Between ICE and the CBP, about 450,000 undocumented immigrants were returned to their home countries in 2016, but only about 15% of them ever went before a judge, said Greg Chen, an advocacy director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Undocumented immigrants with prior orders for removal or who have overstayed a visa waiver can be removed without a chance to argue their case in court, Chen said. But there are some cases in which they can ask for a court hearing, such as a request for asylum or an adjustment of their immigration status based on a family member's U.S. citizenship, said Golash-Boza.

They can hire their own lawyer. But unlike U.S. citizens, the government won't pay for one if they can't afford it, she said.

Related: Muslim immigrants say Trump is slamming door on our American Dream

Estimated costs for the government's legal proceedings vary from roughly $1,200 to $1,500 per case, according to research reports from the Center for American Progress and the American Action Forum.

Among cases that take the longest are asylum cases. On average, these can take about two years to resolve, Golash-Boza said.

Transportation

Mexicans caught illegally crossing the border for the first time are returned almost immediately because of proximity. Those who are from places other than Mexico wait in detention until transportation is arranged to take them back to their home country.

In addition to chartered and commercial buses, detainees are also transported by ICE Air Operations. These chartered planes can hold up to 135 deportees and most flights travel to the Caribbean and Central and South America.

"For Dominicans and Jamaicans there's one flight a month," Golash-Boza said. "Chinese deportees must travel on an American carrier and be accompanied by two marshals, who then must return, driving up the cost."

Some undocumented immigrants may come from countries that don't cooperate with U.S. immigration officials, meaning they may end up stranded in detention for months or years, Golash-Boza said.

ICE said it cost an average of $1,978 in fiscal 2016 to transport each deportee to their home country. It would not provide any further detail.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/13/news/economy/deportation-costs-undocumented-immigrant/index.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beezer

They can play a big role transporting them to the border! They do not have authority to arrest them. Let ICE arrest them and process them, let the guard load them up on a bus and dump them back over the border.

Why should ICE waste their time driving the bus? They should hand them over then get back on the front line and get more of them.

The National Guard can also start clearing them out of the detention centers. How many NG will it take? 1,000 of them???

No funds to hire more ICE...more than one way to skin a cat! Deploy the NG to fill the role and ASSIST in deportations.

George Bush could not find his way out of a wet paper bag. The NG was not used efficiently, Trump needs to get this done and do it now.

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Unfortunately those caught outside of 100 miles from the border, assuming they're not reentries, are entitled to their day in court. I don't agree with it, but it is the law. What I'm saying is, it's not always just a matter of packing them up and shipping them out. I agree with your concept and wish it was that simple.

The former governor of Texas, Rick Perry, sent 1,000 Texas NG to the border in support at a cost of $17 million a month. The federal government would not pay for it. The then Attorney General of Texas, Gregg Abbott (he's now governor) requested $30 million from the federal government but they refused to help.

Yes, I agree the NG could be helpful. However, the cost has to be weighed against the benefit.

Dick Morris video on how Trump will fund the wall. I do not know how to post the actual video here.

https://www.facebook.com/Deep6TheDee...1223298289362/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

Unfortunately those caught outside of 100 miles from the border, assuming they're not reentries, are entitled to their day in court. I don't agree with it, but it is the law. What I'm saying is, it's not always just a matter of packing them up and shipping them out. I agree with your concept and wish it was that simple.

The former governor of Texas, Rick Perry, sent 1,000 Texas NG to the border in support at a cost of $17 million a month. The federal government would not pay for it. The then Attorney General of Texas, Gregg Abbott (he's now governor) requested $30 million from the federal government but they refused to help.

Yes, I agree the NG could be helpful. However, the benefit has to be weighed against the benefit.

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17 MILLION for 1,000 people a month??? What was 17 MILLION a month spent on?

And $17 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the $113 BILLION they cost us every year.

I would rather deploy the NG for 12 months and get hundreds of thousands shipped out of here by bus, train, barge or cargo plane.

They cost EACH State way more than $17 million a month. Every State should get on board to load them up and ship them out of here.

I would rather pay up now and get every stinking one out of here with ALL hands on deck than continue to pay for these people as more pour over the border!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beezer

. . . Every State should get on board to load them up and ship them out of here. . .

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BUT, as much as we dislike it, there are many cities, counties and states that will not do anything to help with federal immigration law enforcement.

2. Mexicans may no longer be the majority of U.S. unauthorized immigrants.

They made up half of all unauthorized immigrants in 2016, according to the Center’s preliminary estimate, marking the first time in at least a decade that they did not account for a clear majority of this population.

Their numbers (and share of the total) have been declining in recent years: There were 5.6 million Mexican unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 2015 and 2016, down from 6.4 million in 2009.

Meanwhile, the number of unauthorized immigrants from nations other than Mexico has grown since 2009, from 5 million that year to 5.4 million in 2015.

Non-Mexicans numbered 5.7 million in the preliminary 2016 estimate, a total that was not statistically different from 2015.

From 2009 to 2015, the number of unauthorized immigrants from Asia and Central America rose.

Increases in the number from other countries have mostly offset the decline in the number from Mexico (and a relatively small decrease in the number from South America).

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank...on-in-the-u-s/

Just having mean looking people with battle gear and guns each solder within sight of another soldier would, alone, serve as a strong deterrent to illegal border crosser. With radios they could immediate alert ICE to the presence of illegal invaders. Troops on the border would send a strong message that we are serious about stopping illegal immigration. Put troops on the border; it will prove to be very effective.

Rush had an interesting segment regarding how the wall might be built, posted here:

Rush: Did Trump Pull a Fast One on the Spending Bill?

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Mexicans may no longer be the majority of U.S. unauthorized immigrants.

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We have to start somewhere!