Yesterday President Trump visited California to tour a number of border wall prototypes in San Diego. He was joined by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielson and Acting United States Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost.
"The border wall is truly our first line of defense, and it's probably, if you think about it, our first and last, other than the great ICE agents and other people -- moving people out. It will save thousands and thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, welfare fraud, and burdens on schools and hospitals," Trump said. "this was really a day where we look at the different prototypes of the wall. You've seen them. The media has seen them. And some work very well; some don’t work so well. When we build, we want to build the right thing. Interestingly, the ones that work the best aren’t necessarily the most expensive."
President Trump visited the #BorderWall prototypes in#SanDiego today. @SecNielsen, @CBP Acting Commissioner McAleenan, & @USBPChief Provost and #SanDiego sector Chief Patrol Agent Rodney Scott provided a historical perspective on before and after walls went up. pic.twitter.com/ymiY86ybec
— CBP San Diego (@CBPSanDiego) March 13, 2018
.@SecNielsen, @CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, & @USBPChief hosted @POTUS in San Diego for an operational briefing of the border wall prototypes. pic.twitter.com/qhTzQKYhm2
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 13, 2018
"CBP and ICE both put their lives on the line every day to protect our country. For that, I'm forever grateful, both as -- to serve as Secretary, but also as an American. And we will build this wall," Secretary Nielson said. "We're building up a toolkit based on what we've learned from the research and development on the prototypes. And we look forward to breaking ground very soon, and securing our country."
If we don’t have a wall system, we’re not going to have a country. Congress must fund the BORDER WALL & prohibit grants to sanctuary jurisdictions that threaten the security of our country & the people of our country. We must enforce our laws & protect our people! #BuildTheWall pic.twitter.com/NGqNueukvj
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018
.@POTUS was able to visit the men and women of @ICEgov and @CBP today to see the border wall prototypes. He was on the frontline (literally on the border) to hear why we need a border wall and legislation to fix the enforcement loopholes. pic.twitter.com/SxDkROQRhE
— Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) March 13, 2018
The wall is expected to cost between $18 and $22 billion dollars. Funding for the project has been rejected by Democrats on Capitol Hill in exchange for a deal on DACA.