President Donald Trump Needs to Put Up or Shut Up on Immigration

President Donald Trump talks a big game on immigration, but so far he hasn’t turned that talk into real action, and the United States of America is currently paying the price for his inaction as migrant caravans storm the southern border near Tijuana.

Recent reports from the Department of Homeland Security indicate there have been a record number of illegal immigrants coming to the United States. The report specifically notes Border Patrol agents arrested 16,658 families in September. That was an 80% increase from July! That was back in September, two months ago, before the multiple migrant caravans headed to the border and are now trying to force their way into our country.

Trump promised the wall

If you recall, President Trump promised he would begin building a wall on Day One.

President Trump stated:

“On day one, we will begin working on an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful southern border wall. We will use the best technology, including above- and below-ground sensors, that’s the tunnels. Remember that: above and below. Towers, aerial surveillance and manpower to supplement the wall, find and dislocate tunnels and keep out criminal cartels …”

That promise has not come to fruition. There doesn’t actually appear to be “an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful southern border wall” being built. In fact, President Trump actually signed an omnibus spending bill that didn’t include one cent for the border wall back in March.

President Trump had previously threatened to veto the bill. But that threat did not come to fruition.

There is a new spending bill in the works and President Trump is once again campaigning for funding of the wall to be included.

Trump doesn’t need Congress to secure our borders

However, as Ann Coulter points out President Trump doesn’t need Congress’ budget or approval to build the wall. He has the authority as the Commander-in-Chief to defend our country’s borders.

Presidents throughout our history haven’t sat around for Congressional approval before making huge decisions. President Thomas Jefferson secured the Louisiana Purchase from France before going to Congress. In what one might consider a stunning move, Jefferson actually disproved of his own decision to take action concerning the land purchase. In 1803 he would write, “The General Government has no powers but such as the Constitution gives it… it has not given it power of holding foreign territory, and still less of incorporating it into the Union. An amendment of the Constitution seems necessary for this.” Nevertheless Jefferson’s actions speak louder than his words, as he went ahead and made the purchase despite his own misgivings.

Jefferson isn’t the only President to take such action. Even President Trump has taken military action without Congressional approval. He approved missile strikes against Syria without Congress voting on whether he could or not.

It’s not out of President Trump’s powers to begin construction of the Wall without Congress appropriating money to the project. They sure as heck didn’t approve of the Syria strikes, why should he care what they think when it comes to building the Wall?

It’s time President Trump put his money where his mouth is and ensures the construction on the Wall starts as soon as possible. It was supposed to start on Day One. That didn’t happen. But it’s not too late to get started.

President Trump has a limited amount of time to make significant changes to put our nation back on the right path. He needs to get started now, or else he might not be sitting in the White House in two years, and the hope that millions had by electing President Trump might be extinguished. If I were President Trump I’d have the Army Corps of Engineers get to work on the wall right now. Our country needs it to protect our sovereignty.

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