Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says more than 450 miles of the border wall have been completed.
“We can’t let the next administration even think about taking it down, if you can believe that,” Trump said. “I don’t think that will happen. I think when you see what it does and how it’s so important for our country, nobody’s going to be touching it…”
Trump condemned violent protesting and the mob of people who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week, saying “now is the time for our nation to heal.” The president also said the freedom of speech is “under assault like never before.”
Trump thanked CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan and Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings, as well as all border patrol agents.
Biden’s position on immigration criticizes the Trump administration’s emphasis on the border wall.
“[Trump’s] obsession with building a wall does nothing to address security challenges while costing taxpayers billions of dollars,” Biden’s campaign website says. “Most contraband comes in through our legal ports of entry.”
Meanwhile, Morgan said on Tuesday in an interview with the National Desk that the border wall is a necessary element of border security and called Biden’s intentions of stopping border wall construction “outrageous.”
“I’ve worked for six presidents in my career on both sides of the aisle, and what I can say is our borders are more secure than ever, again because this administration … has listened to the experts, the men and women [who] are on the front lines defending our borders, asking what they need,” Morgan said.
The commissioner contended that objections to the wall are based in politics, repeating his assessment that the border wall allows authorities to “shape the behaviors” of drug cartels.
The president highlighted the border wall’s deterrent effect on drug trafficking and other criminal activity.
“We’ve arrested nearly 500,000 illegal aliens with criminal records, some with very serious criminal records of the type you don’t want to know about, like murder,” Trump said.
The president also expressed fear of what might happen if border security measures are rolled back.
“At this very moment, smugglers and coyotes are preparing to surge the border if our policies are loosened or removed,” Trump said.
“This is an entirely preventable tragedy waiting to happen.”
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
