Follow Author President Trump Declares the Southern Border Situation: ‘A Crisis of the Heart and a Crisis of the Soul’
WASHINGTON—In a 10-minute address, President Donald Trump spoke to the nation on Jan. 8 about the mounting crisis at the southwest border.
“Over the years, thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country, and thousands more lives will be lost if we don’t act right now,” Trump said. “This is a humanitarian crisis. A crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.”
Broadcast from the Oval Office, the president conveyed somber statistics compiled by the Department of Homeland Security, including increases in drug seizures, the apprehensions and deportations of thousands of gang members, and widespread sexual assaults on both male and female migrants on their trek north.
“Women and children are the biggest victims by far of our broken immigration system,” Trump said, adding that at least 1 in 3 women is raped on the journey north.
Trump’s address came after Democrats in Congress blocked his request for $5.6 billion to construct a wall on the border, triggering a partial government shutdown, which started at midnight on Dec. 21. A team led by Vice President Mike Pence spent the weekend of Jan. 5 negotiating with the Democrats, but no agreement was reached.
The Epoch Times | By Charlotte Cuthbertson and Petr Svab
Published by Naomi S. Gobern
