POTUS orders construction of the wall, targets sanctuary cities

President Trump signed executive orders ordering the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall and the targeting of sanctuary cities. 

Mexico is still adamant about their pledge not to pay for the wall, but there are plenty of ways for them to pay for it and I suspect Trump will use one of them rather than getting a direct check from Mexico for the costs. 

The cost for the project is not known nor how it will be funded.

The orders cover a myriad immigration enforcement measures but the main item is the pursuit of the wall.

Trump signed the border measure when he visited the Department of Homeland Security. "We've been talking about this from the beginning," he said. 

"Ultimately it will come out of what's happening with Mexico," the president told ABC News, and said that construction could begin in a matter of months.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Homeland Security funding could be used to get the project started, but Congress would need to appropriate money to keep it going.

The executive order also includes provisions to give DHS more resources to stop illegal immigration and end what Trump refers to as "catch-and-release " policies (like an ethical fly fisherman who doesn't plan to eat the catch) and prioritize deporting illegal aliens who violate other orders.

Another order, the Secure Communities program, is aimed to assist federal immigration agents to crack down on illegal immigration. It ensures that illegal immigrant criminals are returned back to their countries of origin and moves to strip federal grant money to sanctuary states and cities that "harbor" illegal immigrants.

It seems like there should also be a way to charge government officials who facilitate the harboring of illegal immigrants to be charged with a crime as it is unconstitutional to do so.

U.S. refugee and visa policies are also to be addressed and are likely to include temporary suspension of visas from terrorist-affiliated countries such as Iraq, Sudan, Syria and Libya. In addition, the order might seek to reduce the number of refugees admitted into the U.S.

The wall will cost in the billions of dollars and where the money will come from is still a "complicated" mystery.

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