WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán issued the following statement on President Trump’s anti-immigration executive actions:
“From border walls to immigration raids, Donald Trump is taking this country back to the dark ages.
This mish-mash of lofty ideas he put on paper is nothing but a reality show attempt to fool people into believing that he’s delivering on his campaign promises. But the reality is that our country will be left holding the bag for this thoughtless project.
Mr. Trump failed to tell the American people that tens of billions of taxpayer dollars would be funding his absurd project.
A border wall goes against everything that our country stands for. Our country spent decades fighting to tear down the Berlin Wall because it divided families and a nation. This would do the same thing.
Building a wall will not solve our problem with illegal migration. Tunnels will become rampant along the border. All a wall will do is to put more money into the pockets of smugglers and the drug cartels.
What President Trump does not realize is that Congressional approval is required before the Department of Homeland Security can move forward on this project. I will fight any funding for this project. It’s fiscally irresponsible and quite frankly an embarrassment for our nation.
Poverty and violence in Mexico and Central America are the driving force for people to risk their lives to come to this country illegally. A wall alone cannot overcome this situation and will not prevent illegal migration. In fact, any mention of building a wall only encourages more migrants to try to enter the U.S. and puts an additional strain on our border resources.
We should approach immigration laws in a fair and humane way, consistent with our values as Americans. The reality is that our immigration system is broken, and badly in need of comprehensive reform that only Congress can provide.”
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