President Donald Trump droned on and on about his border wall demands on Tuesday morning in a rant bragging about how he he is keeping helpless women and children migrants out of the country.
Trump has been demanding funds to build his wall since taking office two years ago. Except he abandoned his promise that Mexico would pay for it and now expects American tax dollars to be used instead.
He also pulled a political stunt just before the midterm election in November by sending American troops to the border, where they have largely done nothing but put up razor wire in certain spots and sit and wait because they cannot engage in law enforcement activities.
But Trump’s border patrol fired tear gas at migrants who were trying to claim asylum after walking thousands of miles to escape the violence and political upheaval in their Central American homelands.
After the election, Trump’s fear mongering over the border and so-called caravan largely vanished. But on Tuesday he continued whining about the lack of funding for his useless wall, and pretended that he’s somehow a hero for preventing unarmed desperate women and children from crossing the border:
Despite the large Caravans that WERE forming and heading to our Country, people have not been able to get through our newly built Walls, makeshift Walls & Fences, or Border Patrol Officers & Military. They are now staying in Mexico or going back to their original countries…….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
Except that’s not true. Several migrants were arrested after crossing the border after Thanksgiving, with many climbing walls and scaling fences to do so.
…..Ice, Border Patrol and our Military have done a FANTASTIC job of securing our Southern Border. A Great Wall would be, however, a far easier & less expensive solution. We have already built large new sections & fully renovated others, making them like new. The Democrats,…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
Again, a wall would be a useless solution to our immigration issues. Walls can be climbed over and tunneled under, not to mention sailed around by boat and flown over by plane. It would also be a costly project to American taxpayers because it would take at least $30 billion to pay for it. As Trump basically admits in his tweet, he wants something reminiscent of the Great Wall in China that would stand as some sort of monument to himself. It should also be pointed out that border repairs of the existing fences and structures have already previously been funded by Congress.
….however, for strictly political reasons and because they have been pulled so far left, do NOT want Border Security. They want Open Borders for anyone to come in. This brings large scale crime and disease. Our Southern Border is now Secure and will remain that way…….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
Democrats do not want “open borders” as Trump claims. They want more efficient means of handing migrants rather than wasting money on a border wall that will not work. Also, there is no evidence that immigrants bring “crime and disease” into the country. In fact, immigrants are statistically less likely to commit a crime than a natural born citizen.
…..I look forward to my meeting with Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi. In 2006, Democrats voted for a Wall, and they were right to do so. Today, they no longer want Border Security. They will fight it at all cost, and Nancy must get votes for Speaker. But the Wall will get built…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
….People do not yet realize how much of the Wall, including really effective renovation, has already been built. If the Democrats do not give us the votes to secure our Country, the Military will build the remaining sections of the Wall. They know how important it is!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
This amounts to a threat from Trump that he will steal money dedicated to our national security and troops to build a wall that Congress has not approved.
It turns out that he actually can’t do that. Reallocating funds earmarked for other things would not only violate the Constitution because the legislative branch decides what projects are to be funded, it would violate the Antideficiency Act, which makes it illegal to use federal funding for things other than what Congress approves the money for.
In the end, this was a useless rant about a border wall that should never be built. America is a land of opportunity and humanitarianism, not an authoritarian nation like the Soviet Union, whose own militarized wall in Berlin still did not keep people from crossing it.
Featured Image: Screenshots
