The Trump administration is touting a court victory on the border wall Thursday morning after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled $3.6 billion in military dollars can be transferred to fund its construction.
"A U.S. federal appeals court on Wednesday put on hold a lower court ruling that blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from using $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build a wall on the country’s border with Mexico," Reuters reports. "The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay pending the Trump administration’s appeal of a Dec. 10 decision by a federal judge that barred the funding transfer."
President Trump took to Twitter to celebrate the decision.
Breaking News: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals just reversed a lower court decision & gave us the go ahead to build one of the largest sections of the desperately needed Southern Border Wall, Four Billion Dollars. Entire Wall is under construction or getting ready to start!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2020
"The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has lifted an illegitimate nationwide injunction entered by a lower court, and in doing so has allowed vital border wall construction to move forward using military construction funds. This is a victory for the rule of law. We are committed to keeping our borders secure, and we will finish the wall," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham added in a statement.
Meanwhile, illegal crossings into the United States are down for the sixth month in a row.
As a direct result of @POTUS' strategy to address the historic flood of Central American families illegally crossing the border, border apprehensions dropped for the sixth straight month. The message is clear: bringing a child is no longer a passport into the U.S. pic.twitter.com/yv0uhYIFTC
— Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) December 11, 2019