After his latest meeting with Democratic leaders ended with him declaring the talks “a total waste of time” and Senator Chuck Schumer characterizing his behavior as a “temper tantrum,” U.S. President Donald Trump is going Thursday to the U.S.-Mexico border.
His visit to McAllen, Texas, is scheduled to include border security briefings as well as stops at a border patrol station and the border area along the Rio Grande River.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicate the Rio Grande Valley sector is where in recent years agents have apprehended by far the most people trying to illegally cross into the country. In 2017, it accounted for 44 percent of border apprehensions.
Rights groups in Texas opposed to Trump’s demand for more than $5 billion in funding for a border wall and his immigration policies are planning a demonstration Thursday at McAllen’s airport.
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat who represents McAllen in Congress, said he is glad Trump is visiting the district, but that what the United States needs is intelligent spending that brings real security to the region.
“You’ll see one of the safest communities in the state and in the country. You will see that we don’t need a wall,” Gonzalez said in a video message Wednesday. “What we need to do is figure how we’re going to fill the 7,500 vacancies in our Customs and Border Patrol. We need to use technology to secure the border.”
Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both Texas Republicans, are traveling with Trump on Thursday and say the border wall is necessary.
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