The Wall is Coming

Since the election, there’s been speculation about whether or not Donald Trump will actually carry through on the biggest single promise of the campaign: To build a wall across the southern border of the United States (and to make Mexico pay for it). In his first interview after the election, Trump assured 60 Minutes that the wall would be built, though he conceded that he would be fine with “some fencing” in the appropriate areas.

Liberals blasted him, saying he was already doubling back on his tough campaign talk. His supporters, meanwhile, reacted in one of three ways: “We knew all along that was just talk,” “We would be fine with ‘some fencing’ too,” or “This guy is about to betray us on illegal immigration, big league.”

Whether you fall into Category 1 or 3 depends on how you viewed the wall talk all along. Did you see it as something that would become a physical reality if Trump became president? Or did you see it as a symbol of an administration that would actually enforce the laws of the United States? In other words, is the important part that we stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country, or is the wall a non-negotiable?

Either way, it’s beginning to look like the people in Category 2 will be vindicated. There is every indication that the wall will be built and it will be a top priority. Whether Mexico pays for it or not remains to be seen, but the president-elect is definitely moving forward with the construction plan.

On Saturday, The (failing) New York Times sat down with Democrat Henry Cuellar, a Texas congressman who said he spoke with Border Patrol officials last week. The officials told Cuellar they were contacting him at the request of the Trump team.

Cuellar, who represents a section of Texas with more than 200 miles of Mexican border, said the officials wanted to hammer down the best location for the wall.

“I’m one of the few congressmen who doesn’t have a fence in his area,” Cuellar told the Times. “They asked us to put some locations down, so we talked about areas they’d proposed and some infrastructure, whether it’s a wall or fencing.”

Cuellar said that the agents argued against fencing in the Laredo area but that Trump’s people were firm.

“The Trump headquarters came back and said no,” Cuellar said. “The Trump people wanted to see suggestions as to where a fence or wall could be put.”

The wall may not look exactly like Trump imagined. It may not be funded with a dime of Mexican money. It may include some fencing.

But a wall there will be. Bank on it.