Trump threatens imposition of national emergency over border wall issue

January 10, 2019 11:33

United States 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 on 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."

A wall along the US-Mexico border was one of Trump's signature campaign promises. Trump wants USD 5.7 billion to build the wall, even though he said repeatedly during his campaign that he would make Mexico pay for the structure.

The Democrats are refusing to allocate the money, arguing that a wall would be costly and ineffective. Mexico has rejected Trump's demand to pay for the border wall. -- PTI

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