“[W]e will soon begin the construction of a great wall along our southern border…it will be a very effective weapon against drugs and crime.”
In a speech supposed to provide a positive, united vision for our country’s future, Trump couldn’t help but veer into anti-immigrant rhetoric and divisive policy promises.
American Bridge President Jessica Mackler issued the following statement on Trump touting his divisive policies that are un-American and set to cost the U.S. economy billions:
When it comes to immigration, Donald Trump’s policies are as ineffective as they are racist. Trump’s first Muslim ban was struck down in court, and so too will be any replacement that, as policy adviser Stephen Miller put it, has “the same basic policy outcome.” And now Trump will force American taxpayers — not Mexico — to foot the bill for his $21.6 billion border wall that U.S. taxpayers and he plans to suspend due process and forcibly deport millions of immigrants, breaking apart families and costing the U.S. economy billions more.
Background:
Trump Border Wall Would Be Ineffective
Border Security Experts Questioned The Efficacy Of A Wall On The U.S.-Mexico Border. Former Customs And Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske Said He Didn’t “See Any Efficacy In Building A Wall” Across The U.S.-Mexico Border. According to CNN, “‘I don’t see any efficacy in building a wall across the border,’ said Gil Kerlikowske, who until last week served as Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection under former President Barack Obama.” [CNN, 1/25/17]
The New Deportation Policies Could Cost Billions To Implement And Cost Trillions Lost Economic Output
The Conservative Think Tank American Action Forum Estimated That Deportations Could Lead The Economy To Shrink By $1.6 Trillion Over The Next 20 Years. According to the New York Daily News, “According to an analysis from the American Action Forum, a conservative-leaning think tank, the U.S. economy could shrink by $1.6 trillion over the next 20 years as a result of the deportations.” [New York Daily News, 2/22/17]
American Action Forum: The Total Cost Of The Detention And Deportation Plans Could Be $100-$300 Billion. According to the New York Daily News, “The right-leaning American Action Forum last year analyzed the force necessary to apprehend and remove all 11.3 million illegal immigrants from the U.S. within two years. ‘(T)he federal government would need to increase federal immigration apprehension workers from 4,844 to 90,582, immigration detention personnel from 5,203 to 53,381, federal immigration attorneys from 1,430 to 32,445, and immigration courts from 58 to 1,316,’ the group found. The group estimated it would take hundreds of thousands of extra detention beds, 17,000 chartered airplane flights, and 30,000 chartered bus trips each year. The total price tag would be $100 billion to $300 billion, the group estimates.” [New York Daily News, 2/22/17]
“Moody’s Analytics Projected That Trump’s Policies Would Shrink The Labor Force By About 5%.” According to the New York Daily News, “Moody’s Analytics projected that Trump’s policies would shrink the labor force by about 5% — driving up not only wages, but also the cost of goods, creating inflation and higher interest rates. Meanwhile, real gross domestic product would decline by 5.7%, or almost $1.6 trillion.” [New York Daily News, 2/22/17]
National Bureau Of Economic Research: Deporting All Undocumented Workers Could Cost The Economy $5 Trillion Over 10 Years. According to the Chicago Tribune, “President Donald Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally will strain an already tight U.S. job market, with one study suggesting that removing all of them would cost the economy as much as $5 trillion over 10 years. That represents the contribution of the millions of unauthorized workers to the world’s largest economy, about 3 percent of private-sector gross domestic product, according to a recent paper issued by the National Bureau of Economic Research. At an average of $500 billion in output a year, removing all such immigrants would be like lopping off the equivalent of Massachusetts from the U.S. economy, said study co-author Francesc Ortega.” [Chicago Tribune, 2/22/17]
Construction Analysts Estimated That The Wall Could Cost More Than $20 Billion
“One Estimate From MIT Says The Total Could Top $40 Billion.” According to the San Diego Union Tribune, “Q: What would a border wall cost? A: Estimates vary. Trump has suggested $8 billion to $12 billion. The Department of Homeland Security says about $2.3 billion has been spent on the walls now in place, and that it would cost about $6.5 million per mile for additional pedestrian fencing and $1.7 million per mile for vehicle barriers. One estimate from MIT says the total could top $40 billion.” [San Diego Union Tribune, 1/25/17]
President Trump Called It A Muslim Ban When He Signed It: Trump: “We’re Going To Have A Very, Very Strict Ban.”* “It’s working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over, it’s working out very nicely and we’re going to have a very, very strict ban and we’re going to have extreme vetting which we should have had in this country for many years.” [Donald Trump, Executive Order Signing, Washington, DC, 1/28/17]
Rudy Giuliani Said Trump Asked Him How To Do A “Muslim Ban” Legally Before Signing Executive Order : “I’ll tell you the whole history of it. So when [Trump] first announced it, he said, ‘Muslim ban.’ He called me up. He said, ‘Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.”
Senior Advisor Stephen Miller Says New Ban Will Have “Same Basic Policy Outcome” : “Fundamentally, you’re still going to have the same basic policy outcome for the country. But you’re going to be responsive to a lot of very technical issues that were brought up by the court.”
The Court’s Have Already Weighed In: Muslim Ban Is Unconstitutional
HEADLINE: Trump furious after court upholds block on travel ban [CNN, 2/10/17]
HEADLINE: US judge temporarily blocks Trump’s travel ban nationwide [AP, 2/3/17]
HEADLINE: Court grants temporary, emergency stay of Trump’s immigration ban [USA Today, 1/28/17]
Published: Feb 28, 2017