President Donald J. Trump Stands by His Declaration of a National Emergency on Our Southern Border

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Category: News

Washington, DC - "The current situation at the southern border presents a border security and humanitarian crisis that threatens core national security interests and constitutes a national emergency." ~ President Donald J. Trump

STANDING STRONG ON BORDER SECURITY: President Donald J. Trump will defend Presidential authority to enforce immigration laws and combat the crisis on our southern border.

  • President Trump is vetoing the resolution drafted by Congressional Democrats to reject the national emergency declaration.
  • In February, the President used authority provided by Congress to access up to $3.6 billion in military construction funds provided by Congress.
  • The President declared a national emergency consistent with the National Emergencies Act.
    • There were already 31 ongoing national emergencies when President Trump declared the national emergency at our border.
    • Presidents have declared nearly 60 national emergencies since the National Emergencies Act was enacted in 1976.
  • The President invoked two of the more than 100 available statutory authorities available in national emergencies, invoking 10 U.S.C. § 12302 and 10 U.S.C. § 2808.

AN UNDENIABLE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS: The humanitarian crisis at our border has reached a breaking point and demands immediate action.

  • More than 76,000 aliens were apprehended or deemed inadmissible at the southern border last month.
  • There has been an unprecedented surge in the number of alien families arriving at the southern border – more than 40,000 arrived last month.
    • Apprehensions of alien families have spiked 300 percent compared to the same time period in the last fiscal year (FY).
    • This historic increase has put an incredible strain on resources at the border.
    • As alien families arrive in record numbers, loopholes force the Government to release many of them into the interior, after which they often fail to appear in court.
  • Large migrant groups are streaming to our border, with 70 groups of 100 or more migrants attempting to cross this year. By comparison, only 13 such groups attempted to cross last year.
  • Violent smugglers are exploiting our laws and porous borders for their own gain.
    • Illegal aliens often use children to pose as families and gain entry into the country.
    • One in three women is sexually abused on the journey to our southern border.

PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: Securing our border is vital to ensuring the safety of the American people.

  • The southern border is the primary entry point into the United States for deadly drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
  • Tens of thousands of innocent American lives are being lost every year as drugs pour across our border – with more than 70,000 overdose deaths in 2017 alone.
  • Criminal aliens and gang members have used our weak borders to gain entry into our country.
    • In the past two fiscal years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records.
    • ICE made 5,872 removals of known or suspected gang members in FY 2018.
    • CBP saw an 81 percent increase in apprehended aliens affiliated with MS-13 in FY 2018.