There are many criminals being apprehended, but vast numbers are coming because our economy is so strong. We have the strongest economy now in the entire world. You see what's happening. We have nowhere left to house them and no way to promptly remove them. We can't get them out because our laws are so obsolete, so antiquated, and so bad.
Without new resources from Congress, we will be forced to release these people into communities - something we don't want to do - called catch-and-release. You catch them. Even if they are criminals, you then release them. And you can't release them from where they came, so they go into our country and end up in places you would least suspect. And we do as little releasing as possible, by they're coming by the hundreds of thousands.
I have had zero Democrat lawmakers volunteer to have them released into their districts or states. And I think they know that, and that's what we're going to be discussing over the next three weeks.
The painful reality is that the tremendous economic and financial burdens of illegal immigration fall on the shoulders of low-income Americans, including millions of wonderful, patriotic, law-abiding immigrants who enrich our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority is the defense of our great country. We cannot surrender operational control over the nation's borders to foreign cartels, traffickers, and smugglers. We want future Americans to come to our country legally and through a system based on merit. We need people to come to our country. We have great companies moving back into the United States. And we have the lowest employment and the best employment numbers that we've ever had. There are more people working today in the United States than have ever worked in our country. We need people to come in to help us - the farms, and with all of these great companies that are moving back. Finally, they're moving back. People said it couldn't happen. It's happening.
And we want them to enjoy the blessings of safety and liberty, and the rule of law. We cannot protect and deliver these blessings without a strong and secure border.
I believe that crime in this country can go down by a massive percentage if we have great security on our southern border. I believe drugs, large percentages of which come through the southern border, will be cut by a number that nobody will believe.
So let me be very clear: We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier. If we don't get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security.
And I want to thank you all very much. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
