Border wall

WILMINGTON, Delaware: The Trump administration must temporarily halt the use of some Defense Department funds for a border wall with Mexico, a judge ruled on Friday (May 25), because the money was not specifically authorized by Congress for construction of the barrier.The order blocks the use of US$1 billion from the Department of Defense in Arizona and Texas, out of US$6.7 billion that Trump administration said it planned to direct toward building the wall."The position that when Congress declines the Executive's request to appropriate funds, the Executive nonetheless may simply find a way to spend those funds 'without Congress' does not square with the fundamental separation of powers principles dating back to the earliest days of our Republic," Haywood Gilliam Jr, a U.S. judge in California, wrote in the order.Separately, Gilliam denied a preliminary injunction against the border wall sought by a coalition of sixteen states, but said they could move forward with their … [Read more...] about Judge blocks some funds Trump sought for US-Mexico border wall

WASHINGTON: A US federal judge on Friday issued a temporary injunction blocking President Donald Trump’s (pix) administration from using Defence Department funds to pay for construction of barriers on the border with Mexico. The ruling is a blow to Trump, who declared an emergency in a bid to bypass Congress and obtain funds for his border wall project – a signature campaign promise. Trump administration officials “are enjoined from taking any action to construct a border barrier in the areas defendants have identified as Yuma Sector Project 1 and El Paso Sector Project 1 using funds reprogrammed by DoD,“ Judge Haywood Gilliam ordered, referring to the Department of Defence. — Bernama … [Read more...] about US judge deals blow to Trump’s border wall plans

MCALLEN, Texas: Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan made his second trip to the US-Mexico border on Saturday (May 11) as the Pentagon looks to develop a longer-term plan to support President Donald Trump's immigration policies.Shanahan traveled to McAllen, Texas, to meet with officials and visit a migrant processing facility and Border Patrol station, two days after the White House announced Trump's intention to nominate the former Boeing Co executive as defence secretary."We're not going to leave until the border is secure," Shanahan told about two dozen border patrol officials as hundreds of detained migrants waited in tents to be processed.Shanahan was accompanied by another acting secretary, Kevin McAleenan, who leads the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a shake-up instigated by Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies have not stemmed a rising tide of migrants.On Friday, the Pentagon said Shanahan approved the transfer of US$1.5 billion to … [Read more...] about Pentagon eyes longer-term support on US-Mexico border

WASHINGTON: A baby boy died after plunging into the fast-moving waters of the Rio Grande River as his family tried to cross into the United States on a rubber raft, authorities said Thursday. Three other people, two of them children, were missing after the raft capsized on the US-Mexico border, US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. The group of nine people aboard are part of a massive wave of migrants – most from violence-wracked Central American countries -- trying to enter the United States. US President Donald Trump, who has made his call for a border wall a central plank of his presidency, has declared the influx a national emergency. His administration has taken steps to deter would-be asylum seekers, many of them family groups with children. Trump’s latest proposal calls for charging fees for asylum seekers, among other moves to make it harder for migrants to stay. The accident on the Rio Grande took place Wednesday night, CBP said, calling it a … [Read more...] about Baby dead, 3 missing after raft capsizes on US-Mexico border