President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security today downplayed the importance of his election-winning, pro-American immigration agenda, including the border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“There is no need for a wall from sea to shining sea,” Kirstjen Nielsen said during her November 8 confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Nielsen said of building a border wall:
First of all, I would just like to, if I could, quote something Senator [Claire] McCaskill said at the beginning. The president has stated as have my predecessors at DHS, certainly something that I share, “There is no need for a wall from sea to shining sea.” What we need to do is work with the operators, should I be confirmed, I would look forward to speaking with state and local officials, those on the ground, both law enforcement and Federal law enforcement to include CBP to understand where we need some sort of physical barrier.
Nielsen comment referred to a statement by Trump’s Chief of Staff, John Kelly, who also downplayed the effectiveness of a border wall.