Trump vows to send military to protect US border with Mexico
The President has accused Democrats of allowing "open borders, drugs and crime" and warned Mexico to halt "caravans" of migrants.
Tuesday 3 April 2018 19:49, UK
Donald Trump has vowed to send the US military to secure the Mexican border until his promised "big, beautiful" border wall is built.
The President has accused Democrats of allowing "open borders, drugs and crime" and warned Mexico to halt "caravans" of migrants or he could abandon a free trade agreement between the two countries and Canada.
Speaking at a meeting with Baltic leaders, Mr Trump raged at Mexico for allowing 1,500 demonstrators from Central America, including many escaping violence in Honduras, to walk towards the US border.
As with each of the last five years, they set off from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas for the US border - hoping to apply for asylum.
Mr Trump has used the "caravan" as evidence of the need for a border wall.
He said in Washington: "If it reaches our border, our laws are so weak and so pathetic... it's like we have no border. We need to have a wall that's about 700-800 miles" of the border.
Mr Trump said he has discussed the military deployment with Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.
The President said: "We are going to be guarding our border with the military," calling the measure a "big step".
He has been frustrated about the lack of progress constructing what was one of his signature promises during the White House race.
And he has been pushing politicians to pass legislation to build the wall.
Mr Trump has previously suggested using the Pentagon's budget to pay for it, arguing it was a national security priority, despite tough rules prohibiting spending not approved by Congress.
The President says the wall is needed to stop rapists and murderers entering the country illegally from Mexico.
He has also declared that protections for so-called Dreamer migrants - thousands of people brought into the country as undocumented children - are "dead".
Mr Trump announced last year he was ending the programme protecting "Dreamers", but the Department of Homeland Security is continuing to issue renewals because of a court order.