You might not hear sirens or see flashing lights, but the United States is on alert. In February, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to help pay for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump says building a wall is the best way to put an end to the flow of undocumented immigrants and illegal drugs crossing into the United States. About 650 miles of barriers already stand along the border (see map, below). Trump has vowed to block off 1,000 miles more.
But there’s a catch: Many experts disagree that there is a threat at the border. That’s why when Trump asked for $5.7 billion to build the wall last year, Congress refused.
The clash led to a government shutdown in December that lasted a record 35 days. In February, hoping to avoid another shutdown, Congress approved $1.38 billion for border fencing—about one-quarter of what Trump had asked for.
That is where the national emergency comes in. Declaring one gives a president temporary powers that increase his or her authority. Trump plans to use those special powers to redirect billions of dollars from other parts of the federal government’s budget toward constructing the border wall.
The situation has sparked a national debate. Why are many Americans up in arms over the move, and what could it mean for you? Here’s what you need to know.
You might not hear sirens or see flashing lights. But the United States is on alert. In February, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency. He did so to help pay for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump says building a wall is the best way to put an end to the flow of undocumented immigrants and illegal drugs crossing into the United States. About 650 miles of barriers already stand along the border (see "Barrier Status" map, below). Trump has vowed to block off 1,000 miles more.
But there is a catch. Many experts disagree that there is a threat at the border. That is why Congress refused when Trump asked for $5.7 billion to build the wall last year.
The clash led to a government shutdown in December. It lasted a record 35 days. In February, Congress approved money for border fencing in the hope of avoiding another shutdown. It approved $1.38 billion. That is about one-quarter of what Trump had asked for.
That is where the national emergency comes in. Declaring one gives a president temporary powers that increase his or her authority. Trump plans to use those special powers to redirect billions of dollars. He wants to move money from other parts of the federal government’s budget toward constructing the border wall.
The situation has sparked a national debate. Why are many Americans up in arms over the move? And what could it mean for you? Here is what you need to know.