In response to reports that President Trump will declare a State of Emergency to pay for a wall at the US-Mexico border, Linda Delgado, Oxfam America Director of Government Affairs, made the following statement:
“The President declaring a State of Emergency over a manufactured crisis at the US-Mexico border is an irresponsible political stunt that sets a dangerous precedent and is politics at its worst.
Rather than waste US taxpayer dollars erecting a symbol of bigotry, the Trump Administration should invest in solutions to address the conditions that force families to risk everything in order to seek safe haven in our country.
A wall is unnecessary, ineffective, hugely expensive, and will do nothing to address the violence and instability people are fleeing in Central America.
The real emergency is that every year, thousands of innocent people – families and children – in Central America are forced to leave their homes to escape violence, criminal gangs, instability, poverty, and economic hardship.
It’s past time for the Trump Administration to focus on urgently needed measures to address the root causes of migration from Central America.”
