President Trump touts border wall during meeting with Border Patrol union
Meeting comes one day after announcement of diversion $3.8 billion in military funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KYMA, KECY) - President Donald Trump welcomed members of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) to the White House just one day after he re-declared a border emergency and announced the diversion of $3.8 billion in military spending to construction of a border wall.
Members of the union greeted the President Friday with chants of "four more years."
Trump shared a progress report on wall construction, and showed agents photos from various segments of the barrier. He said it's a project his Presidential predecessor tried to complete, but failed.
"But when you wanna get money for a wall that most of the people in the Democrat party wanted 5 years ago, they just didn't like it when I announced that we were gonna build it, they were unable to get it built. They had the money, but they were unable to get it built because it takes talent to build things and they don't have that talent, but we got it built."
The President said he wasn't a big fan of the wall's design at first. He said anecdotes from those who deal with drug smugglers in person changed his mind.
"You know, one of the stories they say is that they were throwing bags of drugs over the wall with catapults, right? Heavy bags -- 150, 200 pounds of drugs and but you couldn't see, so they'd throw it over and sometimes it would actually hit Border Patrol and other people on the other side because you couldn't see through. And as soon as they said that, that was the thing that got me. I said you're right, you gotta be able to see what's on the other side."
Trump told agents he doesn't oppose immigration. He just wants the right people to enter the country the right way.
"By the way, we do want people coming into our country, but they have to come in legally and they have to come in through merit. They have to be able to help us, they have to come in through merit, they have to come in legally, it's very important, right?"
The President also thanked the Border Patrol for getting the job done and sending a strong message.
"We're removing illegal border crossers at a tremendous pace and making it clear that if you break our laws, you will be sent back home and your home will accept you with open arms or open prisons or whatever it is they want to do with them."
The National Border Patrol Council represents some 18,000 Border Patrol agents across the country. Members and their families were in Washington this week for their annual meeting.
