Statement from the Press Secretary

Posted on

 Issued on: January 9, 2018

President Donald J. Trump just concluded a successful bipartisan and bicameral meeting on immigration reform.  During the closed-door portion of the meeting, they reached an agreement to negotiate legislation that accomplishes critically needed reforms in four high-priority areas: border security, chain migration, the visa lottery, and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-17/

Transcript below (video attached)

Question (3:15 pm ET): If I could follow up on the immigration meetings today, is the president concerned about the differences that democrats and republicans have when it comes to defining phrases like “border security?” 

Press Secretary Sanders: They have a lot of things that they agree on and that’s what we are going to focus on. Again, I am not going to negotiate with you guys. Look, I laid out what the principles and the priorities are and what all the individuals in the meeting today agreed to narrow the scope to and that’s what we are going to continue to push for. 

Question (3:15 pm ET): Thank you Sarah. First of all on border security, we are hearing a lot about immigration. How big of a role does drug trafficking play right now in, vis-a-vis the president and Congress 

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders: It certainly is a factor. it is a one of the reasons that the president is very committed to border security. He wants to stop the influx of drugs coming into this country.

Reporter: But surely, it’s going to be more than just the wall because, drugs are easily flung over a wall, right? 

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders: Correct. Border security is more than just the wall. 

Transcript below (video attached)

Question (3:11 pm ET): Thank you, Sarah. Going back to the wall: Last summer, the head of the Mexican Governor’s Association said that when the president started talking about