by Dr. Eowyn
Tonight, at 9 p.m. EST, President Trump will speak to America about security along our border with Mexico. Trump will follow his speech with a visit to the border on Thursday.
Vice President Pence said the national address is due to congressional Demonrats’ refusal to even negotiate on funds for border wall construction, which would end the partial (25%) federal government shut-down that began December 22. President Trump asks for $5.7 billion for construction of a steel border wall.
Note that the first order of business of the House Democrats was to pass bills to fund hundreds of millions of dollars for abortion by Planned Parenthood ($100 million), international NGOs ($500 million), and the UN Population Fund ($37.5 million).
A new Economist/YouGov survey, conducted Dec. 30-Jan. 1, found that:
- A vast majority (86%) of Americans say illegal immigration is a problem, including 97% of Republicans, 82% of independents, and 83% of Democrats.
- Only 7% of Americans think illegal immigration is “not a problem”, including 2% of Republicans, 7% of independents, and 12% of Democrats.
- The remaining 6% of Americans are not sure if illegal immigration is a problem or not.
It is expected that in his national address, President Trump will declare a national emergency to build and pay for the wall. Indeed, border insecurity isa national emergency:
- In fiscal 2017, as many as 3,755 known or suspected terrorists entered the U.S.
- In fiscal 2018, which ended on Sept. 30, at the southern border:
- Customs and Border Protection agents caught 17,000 adults who had criminal records.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended 6,000 members of gangs, including the violent MS-13.
- A 73% increase in fentanyl, one of the deadliest drugs, totaling 2,400 pounds.
- A 38% increase in methamphetamine.
- A 38% increase in heroin.
- 50 migrants a day required medical treatment.
- 31% of female migrants said they were sexually assaulted on the journey to the U.S. (The Daily Signal)
And when/if President Trump declares border security is a national emergency, the U.S. Army will be the primary contractor to build the wall.
InfoWars reports that two days ago, on Sunday, January 6, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent a letter to Democratic House committee chairs, informing them that the Customs and Border Protection agency is coordinating with the army to fulfill President Trump’s goal of securing the border with a steel wall.
The letter also says that President Trump’s request for $5.7 billion would fund construction of approximately 234 miles of a steel border wall, and several other areas pertaining to border security, including more border patrol personnel, humanitarian supplies, and technology resources. (Read the letter on ScribD, here.)
Yesterday, a White House official said, “If the president declares a national emergency, the Army Corps of Engineers will kick into high gear. They’re already handing out contracts, and that would speed up a lot.”
In fact, the Army Corps of Engineers had begun soliciting bids in mid-2017 for companies to produce “a mix of border fence, border wall, border patrol roads, border access roads, border lights, border gates (for access to border monuments, for maintenance, and for Border Patrol operational use), border drainage improvements, levee walls, and other miscellaneous improvements, repairs, and alterations.” (Daily Mail)
~Eowyn