McALLEN (AP) – Standing along the Rio Grande, President Donald Trump says “a lot of the crime in our country is caused by what’s coming through here.”
Trump is touring a section of the U.S.-Mexico border as he seeks to bolster his case for spending billions of dollars on a border wall.
A law enforcement officer told Trump during his tour that a greater percentage of apprehensions in recent weeks have involved people from places other than Mexico and Central America. He cited people from Pakistan, China and India as specific examples.
Trump tells reporters, “So they apprehended people from the Middle East and they do it all the time.”
Trump says: “Whether it’s steel or concrete, you don’t care. We need a barrier.”
Vice President Mike Pence says President Donald Trump has “made no decision” about declaring a national emergency to build a border wall with Mexico. But he adds, “The president’s going to get this done one way or another.”
Pence called on Democrats to negotiate an end to the shutdown, which is now in its 20th day. He told reporters it’s time for Congress to “do its job.”
