OUR TEAM OF CORRESPONDENTS WILL BE WATCHING CLOSELY AND GIVING
US THEIR ANALYSIS AND EXPERTISE.
RIGHT NOW HERE’S THE PRESIDENT.
>> MY FELLOW AMERICANS, TONIGHT
I AM SPEAKING TO YOU BECAUSE
THERE IS A GROWING HUMANITARIAN
AND SECURITY CRISIS AT OUR
SOUTHERN BORDER.
SOUTHERN BORDER. EVERY DAY CUSTOMS AND BORDER
PATROL AGENTS ENCOUNTER
THOUSANDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
TRYING TO ENTER OUR COUNTRY.
WE ARE OUT OF SPACE TO HOLD THEM
AND WE HAVE NO WAY TO PROMPTLY
RETURN THEM BACK HOME TO THEIR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. AMERICA PROUDLY WELCOMES
MILLIONS OF LAWFUL IMMIGRANTS
WHO ENRICH OUR SOCIETY AND
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR NATION, BUT
ALL AMERICANS ARE HURT BY
UNCONTROLLED ILLEGAL MIGRATION.
IT STRAINS PUBLIC RESOURCES AND
DRIVES DOWN JOBS AND WAGES.
AMONG THOSE HARDEST HIT ARE
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND HISPANIC
AMERICANS.
AMERICANS. OUR SOUTHERN BORDER IS A
PIPELINE FOR VAST QUANTITIES OF
ILLEGAL DRUGS, INCLUDING METH,
HEROIN, COCAINE AND FENTANYL.
EVERY WEEK 300 OF OUR CITIZENS
ARE KILLED BY HEROIN ALONE.
90% OF WHICH FLOODS ACROSS FROM
OUR SOUTHERN BORDER.
MORE AMERICANS WILL DIE FROM
DRUGS THIS YEAR THAN WERE KILLED
IN THE ENTIRE VIETNAM WAR.
IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, I.C.E.
OFFICERS MADE 266,000 ARRESTED
OF ALIENS WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS,
INCLUDING THOSE CHARGED OR
CONVICTED OF 100,000 ASSAULTS,
30,000 SEX CRIMES AND 4,000
VIOLENT KILLINGS.
VIOLENT KILLINGS. OVER THE YEARS, THOUSANDS OF
AMERICANS HAVE BEEN BRUTALLY
KILLED BY THOSE WHO ILLEGALLY
ENTERED OUR COUNTRY AND
THOUSANDS MORE LIVES WILL BE
LOST IF WE DON’T ACT RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS, A
CRISIS OF THE HEART AND A CRISIS
OF THE SOUL.
LAST MONTH, 20,000 MIGRANT
CHILDREN WERE ILLEGALLY BROUGHT
INTO THE UNITED STATES, A
DRAMATIC INCREASE.
DRAMATIC INCREASE. THESE CHILDREN ARE USED AS HUMAN
PAWNS BY VICIOUS COYOTES AND
RUTHLESS GANGS.
RUTHLESS GANGS. 1 IN 3 WOMEN ARE SEXUAL
ASSAULTED ON THE DANGEROUS TREK
UP THROUGH MEXICO.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE THE
BIGGEST VICTIMS BY FAR OF OUR
BROKEN SYSTEM.
BROKEN SYSTEM. THIS IS THE TRAGIC REALITY OF
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ON OUR
SOUTHERN BORDER.
SOUTHERN BORDER. THIS IS THE CYCLE OF HUMAN
SUFFERING THAT I AM DETERMINED
TO END.
TO END. MY ADMINISTRATION HAS PRESENTED
CONGRESS WITH A DETAILED
PROPOSAL TO SECURE THE BORDER
AND STOP THE CRIMINAL GANGS,
DRUG SMUGGLERS AND HUMAN
TRAFFICKERS.
TRAFFICKERS. IT’S A TREMENDOUS PROBLEM.
OUR PROPOSAL WAS DEVELOPED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS
AND BORDER AGENTS AT THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
THESE ARE THE RESOURCES THEY
HAVE REQUESTED TO PROPERLY
PERFORM THEIR MISSION AND KEEP
AMERICA SAFE, IN FACT, SAFER
THAN EVER BEFORE.
THE PROPOSAL FROM HOMELAND
SECURITY INCLUDE CUTTING EDGE
TECHNOLOGY FOR DETECTING DRUGS,
WEAPONS, ILLEGAL CONTRABAND AND
MANY OTHER THINGS.
WE HAVE REQUESTED MORE AGENTS,
IMMIGRATION JUDGES AND BED SPACE
TO PROCESS THE SHARP RISE IN
UNLAWFUL MIGRATION FUELLED BY
OUR VERY STRONG ECONOMY.
OUR PLAN ALSO CONTAINS AN URGENT
REQUEST FOR HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE AND MEDICAL SUPPORT.
FURTHERMORE, WE HAVE ASKED
CONGRESS TO CLOSE BORDER
SECURITY LOOPHOLES SO THAT
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHILDREN CAN
BE SAFELY AND HUMANELY RETURNED
BACK HOME.
BACK HOME. FINALLY, AS PART OF AN OVERALL
APPROACH TO BORDER SECURITY, LAW
ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS HAVE
REQUESTED 5.7 BLGDS$5.7 BILLION
PHYSICAL BARRIER.
PHYSICAL BARRIER. AT THE REQUEST OF DEMOCRATS, IT
WILL BE A STEEL BARRIER RATHER
THAN A CONCRETE WALL.
THIS BARRIER IS ABSOLUTELY
CRITICAL TO BORDER SECURITY.
IT’S ALSO WHAT OUR PROFESSIONALS
AT THE BORDER WANT AND NEED.
THIS IS JUST COMMON SENSE.
THE BORDER WALL WOULD VERY
QUICKLY PAY FOR ITSELF.
THE COST OF ILLEGAL DRUGS
EXCEEDS $500 BILLION A YEAR,
VASTLY MORE THAN THE $5.7
BILLION WE HAVE REQUESTED FROM
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. THE WALL WILL ALSO BE PAID FOR
INDIRECTLY BY THE GREAT NEW
TRADE DEAL WE HAVE MADE WITH
MEXICO.
MEXICO. SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER, WHO YOU
WILL BE HEARING FROM LATER
TONIGHT, HAS REPEATEDLY
SUPPORTED A PHYSICAL BARRIER IN
THE PAST ALONG WITH MANY OTHER
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. THEY CHANGED THEIR MIND ONLY
AFTER I WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT.
DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS HAVE
REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE
CRISIS, AND THEY HAVE REFUSED TO
PROVIDE OUR BRAVE BORDER AGENTS
WITH THE TOOLS THEY DESPERATELY
NEED TO PROTECT OUR FAMILIES AND
OUR NATION.
OUR NATION. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REMAINS
SHUT DOWN FOR ONE REASON AND ONE
REASON ONLY, BECAUSE DEMOCRATS
WILL NOT FUND BORDER SECURITY.
MY ADMINISTRATION IS DOING
EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO HELP
THOSE IMPACTED BY THE SITUATION,
BUT THE ONLY SOLUTION IS FOR
DEMOCRATS TO PASS A SPENDING
BILL THAT DEFENDS OUR BORDERS
AND REOPENS THE GOVERNMENT.
THIS SITUATION COULD BE SOLVED
IN A 45-MINUTE MEETING.
I HAVE INVITED CONGRESSIONAL
LEADERSHIP TO THE WHITE HOUSE
TOMORROW TO GET THIS DONE.
HOPEFULLY, WE CAN RISE ABOVE
PARTISAN POLITICS IN ORDER TO
SUPPORT NATIONAL SECURITY.
SOME HAVE SUGGESTED A BARRIER IS
IMMORAL.
IMMORAL. THEN WHY DO WEALTHY POLITICIANS
BUILD WALLS, FENCES AND GATES
AROUND THEIR HOMES?
THEY DON’T BUILD WALLS BECAUSE
THEY HATE THE PEOPLE ON THE
OUTSIDE, BUT BECAUSE THEY LOVE
THE PEOPLE ON THE INSIDE.
THE ONLY THING THAT IS IMMORAL
IS THE POLITICIANS TO DO NOTHING
AND CONTINUE TO ALLOW MORE
INNOCENT PEOPLE TO BE SO
HORRIBLY VICTIMIZED.
HORRIBLY VICTIMIZED. AMERICA’S HEART BROKE THE DAY
AFTER CHRISTMAS WHEN A YOUNG
POLICE OFFICER IN CALIFORNIA WAS
SAVAGELY MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD
BY AN ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO JUST
CAME ACROSS THE BORDER.
THE LIFE OF AN AMERICAN HERO WAS
STOLEN BY SOMEONE WHO HAD NO
RIGHT TO BE IN OUR COUNTRY.
DAY AFTER DAY PRECIOUS LIVES ARE
CUT SHORT BY THOSE WHO WITH HAVE
VIOLATED OUR BORDERS.
IN CALIFORNIA, AN AIR FORCE
VETERAN WAS RAPED, MURDERED AND
BEATEN TO DEATH WITH A HAMMER BY
AN ILLEGAL ALIEN WITH A LONG
CRIMINAL HISTORY.
CRIMINAL HISTORY. IN GEORGIA, AN ILLEGAL ALIEN WAS
RECENTLY CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR
KILLING, BEHEADING AND
DISMEMBERING HIS NEIGHBOR.
IN MARYLAND, MS-13 GANG MEMBERS
WHO ARRIVED IN THE UNITED STATES
AS UNAKOCH KNEECCOMPANYIED MINOR
ARRESTED AND CHARGED LAST YEAR
AFTER VICIOUSLY STABBING AND
BEATING A 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS,
I’VE MET WITH DOZENS OF FAMILIES
WHOSE LOVED ONES WERE STOLEN BY
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. I’VE HELD THE HANDS OF THE
WEEPING MOTHERS AND EMBRACED THE
GRIEF STRICKEN FATHERS.
SO SAD, SO TERRIBLE.
I WILL NEVER FORGET THE PAIN IN
THEIR EYES, THE TREMBLE IN THEIR
VOICES AND THE SADNESS GRIPPING
THEIR SOULS.
THEIR SOULS. HOW MUCH MORE AMERICAN BLOOD
MUST WE SHED BEFORE CONGRESS
DOES ITS JOB.
TO THOSE WHO REFUSE TO
COMPROMISE IN THE NAME OF BORDER
SECURITY, I WOULD ASK, IMAGINE
IF IT WAS YOUR CHILD, YOUR
HUSBAND OR YOUR WIFE WHOSE LIFE
WAS SO CRUELLY SHATTERED AND
TOTALLY BROKEN.
TOTALLY BROKEN. TO EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS,
PASS A BILL THAT ENDS THIS
CRISIS.
CRISIS. TO EVERY CITIZEN, CALL CONGRESS
AND TELL THEM TO FINALLY AFTER
ALL OF THESE DECADES SECURE OUR
BORDER.
BORDER. THIS IS A CHOICE BETWEEN RIGHT
AND WRONG, JUSTICE AND
INJUSTICE.
INJUSTICE. THIS IS ABOUT WHETHER WE FULFILL
OUR SACRED DUTY TO THE AMERICAN
CITIZENS WE SERVE.
WHEN I TOOK THE OATH OF OFFICE,
I SWORE TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY.
AND THAT IS WHAT I WILL ALWAYS
DO, SO HELP ME GOD.