Trump threatens imposition of national emergency over border wall issue

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a national emergency which will empower him to go ahead with his plan to construct a barrier, concrete or steel, along the southern border with Mexico to prevent flow of illegal immigrants into the country.

Trump Wednesday said imposing a national emergency is the last option and threatened to use it if the Democrats do not allocate USD 5.7 billion funding for his controversial US-Mexico border wall plan.

He argued that the current situation, wherein people are entering the country illegally and there is a massive smuggling of drugs, poses a national security threat.

"I have the absolute right to impose national emergency if I want," Trump said.

To a question why he did not declare this option during his prime-time address to the nation on Tuesday night from the Oval Office, the president said, "Because I think we might work a deal and, if we don't, I may go that (national emergency) route."
Reiterating his stand after a luncheon meeting with Republican Congressional leaders at the Capitol Hill, the president said, "I may do that (declare a national emergency)."