The much talked about ‘wall’ on the border between Mexico and the US was a key component of President-Elect, Donald Trump’s Presidential election campaign. It may turn out to be a fence or some other sort of barrier in places, according to Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ryan is against the idea of a deportation force to get undocumented immigrants out of the country.
Trump has already scaled back on much of the rhetoric about immigration policy that he used during the campaign. Ryan, who claims to be in daily communication with the next President, told 60 Minutes on CBS, during an interview on Sunday, that the focus is simply on securing the US border in the most sensible way possible.
Ryan says that the kind of barrier required would be determined by the ground conditions of the area concerned. Some areas may just need double fencing or some other sort of barrier, although a wall may be appropriate in other places. The tough stance against illegal immigration taken by Trump began when he announced his campaign in 2015. The promise to build a wall became a mantra for many of his supporters.
The stance of the incoming administration was reiterated by Vice President-Elect, Mike Pence, in another interview on Sunday. Trump conceded, soon after his election victory, that a fence could be used instead of a wall on some parts of the 2000-mile border.