President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency Friday to address the border crisis, allowing him to move outside of Congress to build border barriers.
“We’re going to confront the national security crisis on our border,” Trump announced in the Rose Garden.
Trump previewed the legal fight to declare the emergency, citing previous presidents using the designation.
“So I’m going to be signing a national emergency, and it’s been signed many times before. … It’s rarely a problem,” he said. “They sign it, and nobody cares.”
He said that the decision was “very simple” and would help stop the crisis at the border.
Trump expressed his frustration with Congress, who refused to address his demand for $5.6 billion in funding for physical barriers.
He said that Democrats and local politicians who said that walls did not work were telling “lies,” again pointing to the physical barriers in El Paso that successfully protect Americans on the other side from traffickers, criminals, and illegal immigrants.