Raúl Grijalva says border wall crisis "manufactured by the Trump administration"
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Arizona, said Tuesday on CBSN that the border crisis which President Trump will address in his speech this evening was not a true emergency. Grijalva, who represents the largest stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, called it a "manufactured crisis."
"This is a manufactured crisis, and a crisis that is manufactured by the Trump administration," Grijalva said, arguing that Mr. Trump's speech Tuesday night was going to be about an issue which the president helped to create. "So now we find him giving a speech today that is self-fulfilling."
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Grijalva said that the biggest crises at the border was a crisis of confidence, and for the economy and well being of the border region. However, he agreed that border security was a priority.
"Everybody agrees security is critical," Grijalva said. He also said that he wanted Congress to approve a comprehensive approach to border security, focusing specifically on improving ports of entry, which Mr. Trump has also said he supports.
"This wall, this fantasy, this political promise that was inane when he made it and it continues to be inane, is not the solution," Grijalva said.