Trump Decides Not to Build California Part of Mexico Wall Until Project Approved

Sputnik News

17:12 28.02.2018(updated 22:10 28.02.2018)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - President Donald Trump said in a statement on Wednesday he will not approve the start of construction on a border wall in California until Congress fully funds his plans to construct a barrier across the entire southern US border.

"I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved," Trump said in Twitter post. "Big victory yesterday with ruling from the courts that allows us to proceed. OUR COUNTRY MUST HAVE BORDER SECURITY!"

The statement comes after Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was once criticized for his Mexican heritage by President Donald Trump, ruled yesterday that the Trump administration had the authority to waive environmental restrictions to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.

Commenting on the judge's decision, Trump said it was a "big legal win."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in January it had waived several natural resource and land management laws to expedite the building of a border barrier in the US state of New Mexico.

DHS planned to replace an old barrier along a 20-mile segment of the border with a see-through wall.

During his election campaign, Trump promised to build a wall on the border with Mexico in order to curb illegal migration from this country to the United States. Yet another campaign pledge of the politician was to make Mexico pay for this construction.

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