DAY 6 / JANUARY 25: President Trump signed directives to build a wall along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border and strip federal funding from "sanctuary" cities that shield illegal immigrants, as he charged ahead with sweeping and divisive plans to transform how the United States deals with immigration and national security.
"We are in the middle of a crisis on our southern border: The unprecedented surge of illegal migrants from Central American is harming both Mexico and the United States," Trump said in remarks at the Department of Homeland of Security after signing the directives.
"And I believe the steps we will take starting right now will improve the safety in both of our countries," Trump said, adding: "A nation without borders is not a nation."
His plans prompted an immediate outcry from immigrant advocates and others who said Trump was jeopardizing the rights and freedoms of millions of people while treating Mexico as an enemy, not an ally.
REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said on Thursday he hoped to have a wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico finished within two years, according to an interview with Fox News.
“The wall will be built where it’s needed first, and then it will be filled in. That’s the way I look at it,” Kelly said in the interview. “I really hope to have it done within the next two years.” He added he thought funding from Congress for the massive project would come “relatively quickly.”
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu)
