The President who was willing to shutdown the government for longer than any President in history was just getting warmed up in late 2018/early 2019.
Trump said on Thursday that he was giving Mexico a so-called "one-year warning" to stop the influx migrants and drugs into the United States, or he would initiate tariffs on cars made there and completely close off the southern border.
“We’re going to give them a one-year warning and if the drugs don’t stop or largely stop, we’re going to put tariffs on Mexico and products, in particular cars,”
“And if that doesn’t stop the drugs, we close the border.” -President Trump on April 4th 2019
Closing the border has been a central theme of Trump populism since he first ascended to the forefront of American politics. Chants of "Build the Wall" have reverberated in arenas from coast to coast as Trump has morphed from unlikely candidate to POTUS.
This recent declaration has been met with some opposition from his own party. Texas Senator Ted Cruz released a statement that read:
"Closing the border to legal commerce would be devastating to Texas. Millions of jobs, in Texas and across the country, depend upon trade with Mexico, and the federal government shouldn't do anything to jeopardize those jobs.
"Of course, we should secure the border. We must. Our broken immigration system and years of unwillingness to secure our southern border has produced a security and humanitarian crisis. Human traffickers, drug traffickers, and criminal cartels are responsible for suffering and misery and death. And Democratic obstructionism-fueled by a partisan hatred for President Trump-has blocked Congress from fixing the problem.
"But the answer is not to punish those who are legally crossing the border. The answer is not to punish Texas farmers and ranchers and manufacturers and small businesses. Closing legal points of entry would harm American commerce and legal transit between Mexico and the United States, and leave coyotes and human traffickers to roam free in the wilderness of our unsecured border.
"It is time for Democrats in Congress to finally do their jobs. We must build a wall, enforce the laws currently on the books, and support the brave men and women of the CBP with all the resources they need to effectively secure our border. Moreover, the Senate should take up and pass legislation closing loopholes in our asylum system, increasing the number of immigration judges, and providing expedited processing for asylum claims-so that those without who do not qualify for asylum can be quickly returned to their home countries rather than being released into the United States."- Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in response to President Trump's threat to close the southern border
Whether or not Mexico chooses to assist the United States in stopping the flow of migrants and drugs into to US at an acceptable rate remains to be seen. One thing that is certain and consistent is Trump's resolve in attempting to deliver on the central theme of his 2016 campaign - to deliver a safer and more secure America to it's citizenry.
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