CTH is finding it difficult to dismiss the likelihood that both Democrat and Republican corporate club members are intentionally working to make the border crisis worse in an effort to fracture the base of support for President Trump… That purchased approach seems in line with Tom Donohue’s Big Club strategy.
Earlier today President Trump tweeted about the growing crisis at the U.S-Mexico border. Additionally this follows after he answered a press question yesterday about closing some of the border entry points:
Q Mr. President, if you close the border, would it be to all trade? Would you close the border to trade?
THE PRESIDENT: It could be to all trade. Mexico is making absolutely a fortune with the United States. They have a trade surplus of over $100 billion, which is far bigger than anybody understands. They’ve had it for many years. And either they’re going to stop — they have the strongest immigration laws anywhere in the world. And we have the weakest, the most pathetic laws. Number one, Congress has to act. And number two, Mexico — they make so much money from the United States and so many other things, so many other assets, they have to grab it and they have to stop it.
We have, right now, two big caravans coming up from Guatemala. Massive caravans walking right through Mexico. So, Mexico is tough. They can stop them, but they chose not to. Now they’re going to stop them. And if they don’t stop them, we’re closing the border. They’ll close it. And we’ll keep it closed for a long time. I’m not playing games. Mexico has to stop it. They have people coming right through Mexico. It’s a long, very dangerous journey. Mexico sends busses, they send trucks, they do absolutely — they started, at one point, a little bit — stopping. They don’t do anything to stop it right now.
So the caravan has formed. I’ve ended payments to Guatemala, to Honduras, and to El Salvador. No money goes there anymore. We were giving them $500 million. We were giving them tremendous aid. We stopped payment to Honduras, to Guatemala, and to El Salvador. We were paying them tremendous amounts of money, and we’re not paying them anymore because they haven’t done a thing for us.
They set up these caravans. In many cases, they put their worst people in the caravan; they’re not going to put their best in. They get rid of their problems. And they march up here, and then they’re coming into their country; we’re not letting them in our country.
Our Border Patrol, the job they’ve done, is incredible. The job that ICE is doing is incredible. And we have run out of space. We can’t hold people anymore. And Mexico can stop it so easily. They don’t go through a court system every time somebody steps on our land. You step on our land: “Welcome to the United States.” It’s ridiculous.
So Congress — and I know you guys are going to work hard on it — but Congress has to fix our broken immigration laws. We’re the laughing stock all over the world. People pour into this country and we stop them because Border Patrol is so incredible. But there’s a point at which you can’t stop them anymore. We have no detention space, no nothing.
So, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador have done nothing. Mexico has done nothing. And I’ll tell you something: Colombia — you have your new President of Colombia. Really good guy. I’ve met him. We had him at the White House. He said how he’s going to stop drugs. More drugs are coming out of Colombia right now than before he was President. So he has done nothing for us.
Okay. Thank you very much.
Q Will you put DACA back on the table to speed up deportations?
THE PRESIDENT: It’s in the Supreme Court right now. After the Supreme Court.
(press conference link)
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