US President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency to construct a wall along the border with Mexico to prevent illegal migration from Mexico. The declaration will give Mr Trump access to billions of dollars for the project. The Democrats described the move as a gross abuse of power and said that they would challenge the move in the courts.
About:
US-Mexico border: The US-Mexico border is 1,954 miles (3,145km) long and crosses vast deserts and mountains in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. About 654 miles of that have some sort of manmade barrier, such as fencing or a wall. Most of it was built after 2006.
Illegal migration: According to data provided by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in fiscal year 2017, 303,916 people were apprehended at the southern border for illegally crossing the border.
Donald Trump’s proposal on Border wall:
The President has claimed there is a humanitarian and national security crisis at the border with Mexico, with criminals, human traffickers and drugs “pouring in”. He cites the wall as the primary solution.
Progress, however, has been slow. Figures compiled by The New York Times show not a single mile of an extended wall has been built under Trump so far.
View of critics:
American media reports have underlined that the border situation has not deteriorated so much that an emergency to build the wall can be justified. The number of illegal Migrants crossing over has fallen consistently for almost 20 years.
Also, there are deep doubts abound about its efficacy in controlling illegal migration.
According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in January 2018, 60% of Americans said they opposed Trump’s proposal to substantially expand the wall.
Dear Student,
You have still not entered your mailing address. Please enter the address where all the study materials will be sent to you. (If applicable).
