ALAMO, Texas – President Donald Trump is expected to visit South Texas early next week.
According to a report from The Associated Press, the president will visit the U.S.-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday “to mark the completion of 400 miles of border wall and his administration’s efforts to reform what the White House described as the nation’s broken immigration system.”
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The visit from Trump comes nearly a week after violence broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, as Congress worked to finalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Trump’s campaign for the presidency in 2016 focused extensively on the president’s desire to construct a border wall. He also promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but it has been paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
While most of the border wall went up in areas that had smaller barriers, the government has built hundreds of miles of fencing as high as 30 feet (9 meters) in a short amount of time — most of it this year.
The administration prioritized areas where the wall could be built more quickly, and crews have blasted hills and bulldozed sensitive habitats in national wildlife refuges and on American Indian land to do it.
One area lawmaker said in an interview with the Progress Times that given all that has happened recently, it’s unclear if Trump will actually follow through with the trip.
“I think he’s got much bigger issues than coming over and seeing his 14th century solution called ‘The Wall,’” said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, told the Progress Times in an interview. “But, as you know, he started his campaign attacking Mexico and building the wall and all that. And I think he wants to end his term the same way.”
The fact that the president is traveling to the southern border to see his failed attempt of a border wall, shows exactly where his priorities lie. https://t.co/NeAM8LKb5g
— Rep. Henry Cuellar (@RepCuellar) January 10, 2021
The U.S. Secret Service has reportedly already met with area law enforcement agencies to discuss Trump’s potential visit and as of Saturday, preparations for his arrival were underway at the Valley International Airport, according to KVEO-TV.
If the visit does happen, this will be Trump’s second trip to RGV during his presidency, KVEO-TV reports.
KSAT 12 has reached out to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, the Harlingen Police Department and the McAllen Police Department for more information on the president’s visit. We have not yet heard back.
This is a breaking story and we’ll bring more updates as they become available.
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