MCALLEN, Texas - Border watchers,
Today we make the trip down south from H-town to McAllen. It’s about a five-hour drive.
I spent two years in El Paso but have never been to any other border sector in Texas. I’m excited about seeing a new place and border sector. One thing I learned about living in a border town is that it’s a special place. For some people, it’s their hometown — the place they call home and have lived all their life. For others, it’s a place of hope, freedom, and dreams realized. Then there’s the group that exploits the border, whether it’s human or drug smuggling.
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Over the weekend, for the first time since being elected, we heard what Donald Trump envisions to do at the border. In an interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Meet The Press, President-elect Trump made clear that he means business when it comes to reshaping immigration.
"You have no choice. First of all, they’re costing us a fortune. But we’re starting with the criminals, and we’ve got to do it. And then we’re starting with others, and we’re going to see how it goes," Trump said.
Trump echoed comments from his appointed border czar, Tom Homan, saying families with mixed immigration status could be deported together to avoid being separated.
Trump said he still intends to end birthright citizenship, but doing so would almost certainly face legal challenges, as the 14th Amendment says "all persons born in the United States are citizens."
"Well, we’re going to have to get it changed," Trump said on Meet the Press. "We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it. We’re the only country that has it, you know."
In an interview with Fox News, Homan, also took the opportunity to send a clear message to sanctuary cities.
Lastly, we’re taking a look on how Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star is going. Lieutenant Chris Olivarez, the spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, shared some stats in a post on X.
That's it for this week. As always you can connect with me via social media and by email. If you see something, send it my way.
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