US President Donald Trump took a first step toward fulfilling his pledge to "build a wall" on the Mexican border today, signing two immigration-related decrees.
Trump visited the Department of Homeland Security to approve an order to begin work to "build a large physical barrier on the southern border," according to the White House.
Trump also signed measures to "create more detention space for illegal immigrants along the southern border" according to White House spokesman Sean Spicer.
"We're going to once again prioritize the prosecution and deportation of illegal immigrants who have also otherwise violated our laws," he added.
Stemming immigration was a central plank of Trump's election campaign. His signature policy prescription was to build a wall across the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border between the United States and Mexico.
Some of the border is already fenced, but Trump says a wall is needed to stop illegal immigrants entering from Latin America.
In 2014, there were an estimated 5.8 million unauthorized Mexican migrants in the United States, according to Pew, with fewer arriving each year before that.
Experts have voiced doubts about whether a wall would actually stem illegal immigration, or if it is worth the billions it is expected to cost.
But the policy has become a clarion call for the US right and far-right -- the core of Trump's support.
Still, any action from the White House would be piecemeal, diverting only existing funds toward the project.
The Republican-controlled Congress would need to supply new money if the wall is to be anywhere near completed, and Trump's party has spent the last decade preaching fiscal prudence.
Furthermore, much of the land needed to build the wall is privately owned, implying lengthy legal proceedings, political blowback, and substantial expropriation payments.
A Morning Consult/Politico poll released today said 47 percent of voters support building a wall, with 45 percent against.
Trump again promised "100 percent" to make Mexico pay for the wall today, something the Mexican government has repeatedly said it will not do.
"Ultimately it will come out of what's happening with Mexico, we're going to be starting those negotiations relatively soon. And we will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico," he told ABC.
"All it is, is we will be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we'll make from Mexico."
"I'm just telling you, there will be a payment, it will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form."
"What I'm doing is good for the United States, it's also going to be good for Mexico. We want to have a very stable, very solid Mexico".
Pena Nieto also said he had ordered government agencies
to step up protection for immigrants.
"I've asked for the minister of Foreign Relations to re- enforce protection measures to our citizens," he said. He added that the 50 Mexican Consulates in the US will be used to defend the rights of immigrants in the country.
Meanwhile, Trump said he has deep admiration for the people of Mexico, he said he greatly look forward to meeting again with his Mexican counterpart.
"I'll be doing that shortly. We will discuss close coordination on many, many important issues between our countries. This coordination includes the dismantling of cartels and keeping illegal weapons and cash from flowing out of America and into Mexico," he said.
Trump said his executive order directs federal agencies to immediately start working on construction of a border wall.
Talking to reporters, White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer described Trump's actions as the president "fulfilling one of his most significant campaign promises" to the American people by making America safe again, by taking steps to secure our borders and improve immigration enforcement inside the US.
The first order, he explained, is the border security and immigration enforcement improvements. It addresses long overdue border security issues and it's the first order in that will be to build a large physical barrier on the southern border.
"Building this barrier is more than just a campaign promise, it's a common sense first step to really securing our porous border. This will stem the flow of drugs, crime, illegal immigration into the US. And yes, one way or another, as the president has said before, Mexico will pay for it," he said.
The US will create more detention space for illegal immigrants along the southern border to make it easier and cheaper to detain them and return them to their country of origin.
"We're going to end the last administration's dangerous catch and release policy, which has led to the deaths of many Americans," he added.
Spicer said under the second executive order, federal agencies are going to unapologetically enforce the law, "no if's, ands or buts".
"We're gonna restore the popular and successful secure communities program, which will help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents target illegal immigrants for removal," he said.
Spicer warned that the State Department is going to withhold visas and use other tools to make sure countries accept in return the criminals that came from their country.
"We'll ensure that these countries take those individuals back and we're gonna strip federal grant money from the sanctuary states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants," he said.
"The American people are no longer going to have to be forced to subsidise this disregard for our laws. Reform of our immigration system has been at the top of President Trump's priorities since he announced his candidacy," Spicer said.
