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President Donald Trump delivers a televised address to the nation from his desk in the Oval Office about immigration and the southern U.S. border on the 18th day of a partial government shutdown at the White House in Washington, Jan. 8, 2019.
President Donald Trump delivers a televised address to the nation from his desk in the Oval Office about immigration and the southern U.S. border on the 18th day of a partial government shutdown at the White House in Washington, Jan. 8, 2019.

Trump Makes Case for Southern Border Wall, Democrats Respond

update

President Donald Trump addressed the nation Tuesday to make the case that his wall along the U.S.-Mexico border must be funded. It was his first prime-time address from the Oval Office. After Trump's address, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer provided the Democratic response.

Much of Trump's focus is on the idea that lax security has led to drugs and crime "pouring" over the border. Trump bases the claim on the idea that members of the MS-13 gang have committed violent crimes in some parts of the United States.

But there is missing context: the vast majority of illicit drugs captured at the border come through legal ports of entry, according to the U.S Custom's and Border Protection agancy. For the first 11 months of the 2018 fiscal year, 90 percent of the heroin intercepted at the border and 88 percent of the cocaine, was captured at a legal port of entry rather than between those ports.

The president then reads about several cases, going into great detail in some cases, about crimes allegedly committed by "illegal aliens."

Trump refers to wealthy politicians who lives behind walls - not because they don't love the people outside the wall but because they love the people inside the wall.

The president claims the partial government can be solved in a 45-minute meeting, and he is inviting leaders to a meeting on Wednesday.

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