President Trump: “I Will Completely Close The Southern Border If Necessary”

Here's more on the story, from The Hill:

President Trump on Thursday threatened to close off the southern border, telling reporters that he would "close entry into the country" if immigration gets "uncontrollable."

"If we find that it gets to a level where we’re going to lose control or people are going to start getting hurt, we will close entry into the country for a period of time until we can get it under control," he said.

Trump added that he meant the "whole border," though he appeared to be referring only to the southern border.

“We’re either going to have a border or we’re not," he said, adding that Mexico wouldn't "be able to sell their cars" into the U.S.

Trump also claimed that the U.S. closed the border earlier this week, though it was unclear what he was referring to.

Earlier this week traffic lanes near a key port of entry in San Diego were temporarily shut down.

“Two days ago, we closed the border. We actually just closed it," Trump said. "We said, ‘Nobody’s coming in.’ Because it’s out of control.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday that the lanes were shut down because a large number of migrants were planning to "rush the border." 

Earlier this month, the Pentagon deployed roughly 5,800 troops to the border at the request of Trump.

The president has claimed that a group of Central American asylum seekers traveling through Mexico and toward the U.S. border present a national security threat.

"You're dealing with a minimum of 500 serious criminals, so I'm not going to let the military be taken of advantage of," Trump said Thursday. "I have no choice. Do I want that to happen? Absolutely not. You're dealing with rough people."

Homeland Security Department officials had said in a conference call with reporters earlier this week that they had identified 500 criminals traveling in the caravan, The New York Times reported.

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KTLA had more:

President Donald Trump used a Thanksgiving Day call to troops deployed overseas to pat himself on the back and air grievances about the courts, trade and migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump's call, made from his opulent private Mar-a-Lago club, struck an unusually political tone as he spoke with members of all five branches of the military to wish them happy holidays.

"It's a disgrace," Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas.

Trump later threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost "control" on its side.

The call was a uniquely Trump blend of boasting, peppered questions and off-the-cuff observations as his comments veered from venting about slights to praising troops — "You really are our heroes," he said — as club waiters worked to set Thanksgiving dinner tables on the outdoor terrace behind him. And it was yet another show of how Trump has dramatically transformed the presidency, erasing the traditional divisions between domestic policy and military matters and efforts to keep the troops clear of politics.

"You probably see over the news what's happening on our southern border," Trump told one Air Force brigadier general stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: "I don't have to even ask you. I know what you want to do, you want to make sure that you know who we're letting in."

Trump also continued to rail against the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which he said has become "a big thorn in our side."

"It's a terrible thing," he said, when judges "tell you how to protect your border. It's a disgrace."

Later, Trump asked a U.S. Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was "a very big subject" for him personally.

"We've been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals," Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied that, "We don't see any issues in terms of trade right now."

And throughout, Trump was sure to congratulate himself, telling the officers that the country is doing exceptionally well on his watch.

"I hope that you'll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well," he said. "The nation's doing well economically, better than anybody in the world." He later told reporters "nobody's done more for the military than me."

Indeed, asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Trump cited his "great family," as well as himself.

"I made a tremendous difference in this country," he said. "This country is so much stronger now than it was when I took office and you wouldn't believe it and when you see it, we've gotten so much stronger people don't even believe it."

But Trump continued to warn about the situation on the southern border as he took questions from reporters, pointing to the caravans of Central American migrants that have been making their way toward the U.S. and warning that, "If we find that it gets to a level where we lose control or people are going to start getting hurt, we're going to close entry into the country for a period of time until we get it under control."

He said he had the authority to do so by executive order and claimed he'd already used it earlier this week. "Two days ago, we closed the border. We actually just closed it, said nobody's coming in because it was just out of control."

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