Trump news: President hints he will shut down asylum process during California border visit
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Donald Trump has attacked the late former first lady Barbara Bush in a newspaper interview a day after posting a satirical alt-right meme of ex-vice-president Joe Biden on Twitter.
“I see that you are on the job and presidential, as always,” Mr Biden responded to the tweet, which sits pinned to the top of the president’s Twitter profile. The video in question sends up Mr Biden’s apology after he was accused of inappropriate conduct towards women while on the campaign trail, and was circulated by Donald Trump Jr earlier on Thursday.
Mr Trump then made a stop in Calexico, California, to inspect construction work on his US-Mexico wall after rowing back on his threat to close the border, the trip providing a timely change of focus for the president after thousands of protesters campaigned outside the White House and in New York’s Times Square to demand the release of the Mueller report in full.
While in southern California, Mr Trump heard from officials who praised his leadership and promised to build some 400 miles of border wall in the next year and a half.
Mr Trump, during a round table with Border Patrol officials, said that the US has no more room for immigrants — and thanked Mexican officials for what he described as new efforts to stop migrants from making it to the US-Mexico border.
Trump prototypes for Mexico border wall demolished in California
Show all 20The White House, prior to Mr Trump's visit to the border, hailed the 2-miles of fencing there as the first completed section of the president's border wall.
But, Mr Trump cannot take full credit for the construction: Border barriers have existed there for decades, and plans for the recent renovations first began to develop during the presidency of Barack Obama.
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Mr Trump says it is "very, very tough to get money from the Democrats" for the border wall.
"The wall is like pulling teeth. It's pretty tough," Mr Trump said, lamenting what he views as Democrat obstruction when it comes to the border wall.
Gloria Chavez with Border Patrol in southern California, is now speaking.
She says that their resources are "overwhelmed" and that her "agents are being stretched in so many different directions."
Ms Chavez said that the border wall Mr Trump is visiting today was built in eight months.
She said that they have observed "efficiencies" since the wall was erected.
"The border wall works for us," she said, citing a drop in 65 per cent in rates of use of force incidents.
Mr Trump has now been presented with the "first piece" of the wall that he is down there visiting.
Mr Trump is now talking about 36 miles' worth of border wall that he says was constructed by the Obama administration and Bush administration. He says there are several holes for doors in that wall, but no doors.
He says that they are filling those holes.
Mr Trump is saying that illegal immigration has a cascading effect in the United States when it happens.
He said it spreads to "Iowa, and Idaho and New Hampshire" once undocumented immigrants come into the US.
Mr Trump has once again threatened to close down the US-Mexico border, if tariffs don't work.
He has so far said that he thinks Mexico is doing a great job at stopping migrants from coming to the US, but that he would take drastic measures if they stop doing that work.
Here are the stats that are being repeatedly mentioned to the president by Border Patrol agents right now, following the building of the wall in Calexico:
-75 per cent decrease in illegal entry
-65 per cent decrease in assaults and use of force incidents
Mr Trump has been told they have only had three fence breaches since the renovated portion of wall was built.
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