MCALLEN, Texas — President Trump traveled to the Rio Grande Valley on Thursday to further make his case for a wall along the southern border with Mexico.
- Arrived at McAllen airport
- President recently touted border wall
- Says wall will keep out drugs, etc.
Trump arrived in McAllen, Texas, Thursday afternoon to make the case for his long-promised border wall after negotiations with Democrats blew up over his funding demands.
Trump traveled to the Texas border town on the 20th day of a partial government shutdown. He is seeking to use the trip to bolster his argument that a wall is needed on security and humanitarian grounds.
The president visited a border patrol station and received a briefing on border security.
Trump’s statements have people in McAllen talking. Some are siding with Democrats who say the wall is not the answer. One woman we spoke to said the U.S. needs to reform its immigration laws so immigrants have a real chance of coming here legally.
“There are youth who want to do better. Why won't he help them? Why won't President Trump lend a hand? I think he's out of line. He's doing things he shouldn't. I want him to have a heart,” said McAllen resident Cati Santana.
Others say they see the president’s point clearly. McAllen resident William Barnett said he supports the wall for national security reasons. He says at least the large project would provide more jobs.
"This just gives our guys another opportunity to do some work that's not off shore related but land based. $5 billion worth of work. That's a lot of work," said Barnett.
The president and congressional Democrats remain at an impasse over his demand for $5.7 billion for a wall along the southern border. Critics say Trump overstates the security risks and that the administration is at least partly to blame for the humanitarian situation.
Democrats say Trump is holding the country hostage for his wall funding and have called on Republicans to re-open the government.