Trump signed an executive order shortly after his inauguration declaring a national emergency along the U.S.-Mexico border and stating that “America’s sovereignty is under attack.” The southern border, the order states, “is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans, including America.” As part of the order, Trump deployed military personnel and resources along the southern border. The order also allows the military to “construct additional physical barriers along the southern border” — that is, a wall. “To protect the security and safety of United States citizens, to protect each of the States against invasion, and to uphold my duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, it is my responsibility as President to ensure that the illegal entry of aliens into the United States via the southern border be immediately and entirely stopped,” the order states.
