Investigative reporter Chris Ramirez reported on the security crisis and crime on the southern border in New Mexico. He speaks with New Mexico border residents about the security challenges on the border, with one resident noting, “we have a crisis down here.” The report ran on the local New Mexico NBC news station KOB 4. Watch:
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President Trump drew attention to this report moments ago on Twitter:
It is a rather incredulous dynamic where President Trump is fighting to secure the southern border, while the Democrat speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, coordinates resistance bribes from Mexican cartels to stop him. I digress…
In this segment from Fox News Sunday, acting Chief-of-Staff Mick Mulvaney discusses the issues around trying to get funding for U.S. border security and the possibility of another government shutdown.
QUESTION: Hello Sir,
I am French and have been reading you for many years (I already read you while you published papers while you were very unfairly imprisoned).
I signed up for Socrates on 6th January and must thank you warmly for opening my eyes to the real state of the global economy and its cycles.
Unfortunately, I live in France and taxes weigh heavily on us. Unemployment is preponderant.
I do not think our President E.Macron knows exactly what he is doing by reforming our economy in his own way…
My question please:
You explained that the next crisis would be a debt crisis and that banks and the economy would be severely heckled.
So, I really think about quickly withdrawing my assets (about 50,000 euros) from the bank and I wonder if converting them into foreign currency and keeping them in a safe in my house would not be a good idea …
If the euro is devalued or disappears as I fear, would not it be smart to convert them as soon as possible into Swiss francs? Indeed, their economy seems stable and it is really a country apart, bordering on France. (Of course, I also thought about owning dollars and yen (although the yen inspires me less confidence)
Thanking you for everything you do for us,
Sincerely,
F.C
ANSWER: Dollars are probably the best because the USA does not cancel currency as they do in Europe. Dollars from 1860s are still legal tender today. You might want to open an account in the USA, which ironically is not part of the tax reporting schemes. Therefore, you can have an account in the USA with no problem for probably the next 3 years. Governments are becoming like a black hole. They are sucking up all the money to sustain their existence.
Keeping cash at home in a safe is good. Keep in mind that you will never be able to travel with even $10,000. That is why I say opening an account may be best. The cash problem is still unfolding as the governments try to eliminate paper money. I doubt Trump would allow that to happen in the States. But once Trump is gone, it really does not matter if the next president is a career politician from either party. They will look at eliminating cash to increase taxation. That is when it will be keen to have tangible assets (equity mostly). Precious metals may have the same problem as cash insofar as if you attempt to travel with it. That is the whole problem going forward. They are closing in on the movability of money
There is an interesting book entitled The Chinese Exodus. This work explores the sociological and theological discussion going on concerning China’s internal migration since the marketization reform in 1978. While the book documents the social and political processes impacting the experiences of internal migrants from the countryside to the city within China, the attempt is to reconstruct the political, economic, social and spiritual dimensions of this urban underclass in China who made up the economic backbone of the Asian superpower.
History repeats BECAUSE human nature never changes. Humans will ALWAYS act in the same manner to the same set of circumstances no matter what culture or century. Yet what is more interesting to me is the pattern. As taxes are low and the economy booms in the city, the youth are attracted to the city and leave their parents in the farms or suburbs and head off to make their fortune in the world. Rome became the largest city in history reaching a population in excess of 1 million by its peak in 180AD. It had crossed that 1 million mark in 133AD during the reign of Hadrian (117-138AD). With the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180AD, the decline and fall began. Gradually the population declined until it fell to just 15,000 during the middle ages. The city of London, England reached the 1 million mark in 1810 during the reign of George III (1760-1820) and New York City finally reached that level in 1875.
Our understanding of the economy is incredibly important, yet it is completely ignored by those in power. Nothing is possible without a properly functioning economy for the very existence of civilization depends entirely upon the function of the economy. People come together from the suburbs to form great societies in a trend of urbanization only when it is to the advantage. Historically, when the government loses sight of their purpose and sees itself as the embodiment of sovereignty instead of the people, then it begins to abuse the people with regulation and taxation. Once that takes place, the trend of coming together is reversed.
Edward Gibbon wrote in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire about the son of Marcus Aurelius and how he set in motion the collapse of Rome. He wrote of Commodus (177-192AD):
“distinction of every kind soon became criminal. The possession of wealth stimulated the diligence of the informers; rigid virtue implied a tacit censure of the irregularities of Commodus; important services implied a dangerous superiority of merit; and the friendship of the father always insured the aversion of the son. Suspicion was equivalent to proof; trial to condemnation. The execution of a considerable senator was attended with the death of all who might lament or revenge his fate; and when Commodus had once tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse”
(Book 1, Chapter 4).
When the people begin to flee the cities because of corruption and taxation, the Romans had a word for it “suburbium” meaning the people began fleeing from the cities to what we call today suburbia. The population of Rome itself just collapsed. This is how empires die. The cost of government always rises to oppress the private sector since the public sector becomes addicted to revenue. The people either leave or revolt in their struggle to cope with the persistent unpredictable demands of the government that historically NEVER lives within its means.
In the earliest days of the Republic, Rome’s taxes were quite modest, and were not direct, but were a property tax or a wealth tax on all forms of property, including land, houses, slaves, animals, money and personal effects. The basic rate was just 1% and sometimes it would occasionally rise to 3%. This was to fund the pay for the army during the war. The tax would often be rebated to the people out of the spoils of war. It was levied directly upon individuals, which required the government to conduct a census.
The flat tax of Augustus (27BC-14AD) created the biggest economic boom in Roman history. Augustus once said, “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” Indeed, Augustuscommissioned several large marble structures, some of which took 40 years to complete. There was evidence that massive marble blocks were constantly being moved through the city, causing congestion in the streets. Marble-paved public spaces began to appear where marble was previously reserved for sacred temples and houses of the elite. The flat tax system really did create the economic boom as people turned to peace and business – Pax Romano.
Rome became prosperous because it began with the conquest model whereby it consumed the wealth of the nations it conquered. Once Rome had expanded and there was no longer anything worthwhile to bring home wealth, then the cost of maintaining its borders and security became unsustainable. The pension system it had created which we still use in government to this day where 20 years of service gets you a pension, acted like cancer which devoured the Empire from within. As this weakened its defenses, then the barbarians were able to invade.
Consequently, the fiscal mismanagement of Rome and its economic model of conquest failed. This led the government to turn inward against its own people that resulted in not merely the collapse of the Rule of Law, but that opened the door ‘for wider demands for taxation and the confiscation of property under the pretense of some offense. The over taxation of the people caused the suburbanization of Roman culture as they fled the cities. As the government tried to stretch its grasp of taxation, they were, in fact, planting to the seed of its own destruction. Taxation is not a divine right of government. It is to be limited to the voluntary contribution from the people to share the benefits of communal living. Once taxation is seen as a divine right of government this will lead to the diminished rights of the people and then the rise of economic tyranny.
Historically, this has been the difference between movable and immovable assets, such as real estate. Collectibles, stocks, and precious metals are in the moveable category. Of course, this is what governments are now attempting to seize. If we look at the fall of Rome, the first asset class to decline was real estate, as you cannot take it with you when you leave town. Thus, the population of Rome collapsed from 1 million to 15,000 by the Middle Ages. People had no choice and just walked away, unable to pay the taxes demanded.
Taxes are the great destroyer. You are an economic slave if you simply cannot retire without having to pay taxes. Taxes reduce economic growth and lower productivity for they are no different, economically speaking, from some gangster demanding “protection” money to operate a business. Rome prospered as long as it had a minimal flat tax. The Democrats preach they want to tax the rich, but what they actually do is create higher tax rates with all sorts of deductions they sell to lobbyists for big campaign donations. A flat tax is far more economically more of an incentive and it will be closer to the indirect taxation that the Founding Fathers incorporated into the Constitution until the Marxists alter everything.
The cycle is very clear. First, we have the attraction of the city with low taxes and regulation where people come together to create economic booms. Governments will then become greedy with taxes and over-regulation. This will then lead to the downside of the Bell Curve and result in the death of the empire, nation, or city-state. It is always the same pattern no matter what century or culture.
QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I have been reading your blog for years now. It is obvious that you are well connected behind the curtain. It did not take but perhaps a day or two after you explain the difference between wealth and income to suddenly see Elizabeth Warren adopting the position to impose a wealth tax of two percent on people with assets of 50 million or more. Will this not cause the rich to leave as they did in France?
Thank you for the enlightenment
HT
ANSWER: Warren’s proposal is not only going to be the final nail in the coffin of capitalism and the United States but indeed, investors will migrate to China. The danger is clear. The famous legal case that led to the Supreme Court’s Right to Privacy was Griswold v Connecticut. It involved a doctor who was criminally convicted for giving married persons information and medical advice on how to prevent conception with a condom. The religious extremist took the view that the Bible said go forth and propagate and thus they imposed their religious beliefs upon the majority by criminal law. The Supreme Court correctly created the Right to Privacy out of a simple logical conclusion. How would the state outlaw the use of a condom in marriage? How could it be enforced? Would a state policeman have to inspect before you had intercourse? Would you then have to apply for a license to have intercourse so the state would then know to send the policeman into your bedroom?
In order to impose a Wealth Tax, that means the absolutely EVERYONE would then by law be compelled to list everything they own right down to your wedding rings so the state could them calculate your wealth to impose a tax. This type of tax would absolutely destroy the Right to Privacy. It does not matter if it starts at $50 million. How do they know you have less than $50 million unless you still report all your assets to says you are exempt.
Putting the Right to Privacy aside, the government can NEVER be held to whatever it promises today. The government will always introduce a tax and claim it will only apply to the “super-rich” as she is doing – $50 million will pay 2% annually on the value government claims your assets are worth and $1 billion+ will pay 3% annually. At 8%, you will confiscate all of a person’s assets in less than 10 years. They have constantly altered even the definition of who are these “rich” people they hate so much. It inspires a feeling that you are just an economic slave and we are to be exploited and threatened with prison if we do not comply with their demands.
Elizabeth Warren is the new Karl Marx advocating communism in slow motion. To sell the income tax in 1913, it was to be just 1% and ONLY on the rich just as she is claiming today with her Wealth Tax. Ever since, the income tax has risen to 94%, dropped to 35%, rallied back to 91% and then eventually fell to 31% to rise again to 39.6%. This is why companies left the USA. Not to pay a worker $5 instead of $10, but to seek some consistent level of taxation. Now the Democrats once again want to raise the income tax to 70%. No matter what rate they say today, they will always change it. The USA is economically a disaster because the tax rate fluctuates depending on who wins the election. This is what is wrong with Democracy insofar as it allows the majority to exploit the minority be it in taxes or even religion crafting criminal laws to enforce religious beliefs.
Those below that $50 million thresholds will cheer – go get em. They did precisely that in 1913. To sell the introduction of the income tax, they drew the line at $3,000 when a good job paid $0.30 per hour or $18 a week which was just under $1,000 a year. So to get a new tax in, they will ALWAYSplace it above the majority of people and pretend they will never be impacted. This is the luxury tax I saw in Australia pitching they would tax their Ferraris, Fur Coats & French Wines. They cheered. When the tax was imposed, it included all electrical products.
Once they create a new tax under false promises, they ALWAYS change the specifics. Just as ONLYthe rich would pay income tax, then comes Roosevelt’s New Deal and morally the same claims were made but suddenly they introduce the Payroll Tax and not everyone pays income tax. They will do the very same thing with a Wealth Tax. You cannot hold the government to whatever it promises. They will constantly change the rates and to whom it applies based upon they need money. They have constantly changed the DEFINITION of the “rich” and now it begins at $500,000. As the pension crisis explodes, they will need money for their own pensions like California, Illinois, and New Jersey, just to name a few. They will drop the Wealth Tax to the same level of income tax. Regardless, EVERYONE will have to report their total wealth in order to make sure you are paying your Wealth Tax.
The Democrats rely upon Marxism and always preach class warfare which denies the very foundation of the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and violates the Ten Commandments by coveting what others have materially. They always run on a platform of a vote for me and I will go get the rich bastards. Once any new form of taxation is introduced, then politicians will ALWAYS raise the rates and lower thresholds as they continually need a never-ending source of other people’s money. The $50 million thresholds will crash to normal levels and the criteria will change for everyone. Every person will have to report their entire wealth right down to inheritance or else the government will be unable to confirm you are under the $50 million entry level. There are a lot of “super-rich” kids who inherited companies rather than cash. If your father’s company was worth $1 billion, how do you get $30 million in cash to pay taxes without liquidating at least part of the company? Then you have to pay that EVERY year!
Warren’s tax will cause a collapse in investment which means that unemployment will only rise. When people appear to make a fortune because their company goes public, they have restrictions that prevent them from selling for a period. A wealth tax will be applied simply based upon values of shares they cannot sell. This would certainly lead to a mass exit of the upper-class the very same as what took place in France – they just left!
Like the income tax, Warren’s Wealth Tax will move to 100% application to everyone because of some new event or war. Since we are already in a collapsing state of socialism, they will argue to raise this new Wealth Tax to save government pensions. Effectively, we will have a NATIONAL property tax that will include your home and then you will have to pay income tax on top of that. The pension funds will become a national emergency and the shift to increasing taxes will take place exactly as we are witnessing in California – if it moves, tax it; it fails to move tax it; and if it has any use whatsoever (like water) tax it.
Back in the ’90s, I was working to trying to Privatize Social Security to invest in equities rather than 100% government bonds and reform taxes by moving to a national retail sales tax (indirect) and eliminating the income tax. I was shuttling back and forth between the Speaker of the House Dick Armey and Bill Archer who was Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee. Dick served in Congress between January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003. I was sitting in Dick’s office one day when he explained the futility of it all. He had his feet up on the desk with his cowboy boots while smoking a cigar. He said to me that he could not support a retail sales tax because he did not believe he would be able to terminate the income tax.
He then said to me that when the political cycle would change, as I told him our computer was projecting, then the Democrats would have both taxes. It was at that moment I saw the light and I agreed. I told Dick he was absolutely correct. Without restoring the Constitution to prohibit direct taxation, it was hopeless to save the future no less Social Security. I made my decision to stop the nonsense of thinking I could prevent the future economic disaster. All I could do was advise my clients to help them survive not the nation. I gave up that day on trying to ever help the country and I knew all the top power people as the press would portray them.
War is a great excuse, which is why politicians like war for it justifies raising taxes and introducing new powers like the Patriot Act. Make no mistake about it, when they introduced the income tax, the economy plunged into a steep recession in the face of the income tax. INVESTMENT dried up and the stock market shifted buyers. Americans were sellers and Europeans were the buyers as SMARTmoney began to move out of Europe. It had been the assassination on June 28th, 1914, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina of the Austrian Arch Duke which began to increase the tensions.
But a 43-month economic boom ensued from February 1915 to 1918, first as Europeans began purchasing U.S. goods for the war and later as the United States itself joined the battle. It was February 1915 is when the Ottoman forces attacked the Suez Canal and Germany defeated a Russian army in Poland. Eventually, the long period of U.S. neutrality made the ultimate conversion of the economy to a wartime base. The economic boom led to real plant and equipment expansion in response to the increased demand from both Europe and the United States.
Those who are in the “rich” category earn their money from INVESTMENT not wages. This is what Elizabeth Warren is addressing for she wants a tax on wealth – not income. So if you owned $100 million of a stock that was valued at that level because of a bull market, you will then have to pay 2% – $2 million. The stock crashes by 50%. You now pay 2% again every year of the current value of $1 million even though you lost $50 million. This type of Wealth Tax will unquestionably destroy INVESTMENT. You can lose and get no credit for a loss.
What this will do is far worse than the proposed 70% income tax for the new “Green New Deal” of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This dynamic-duo of Warren and Ocasio-Cortez will absolutely complete what our model is forecasting – the end of the United States. Both are completely ignorant of how the economy even functions. They lick their lips at other people’s wealth and just want to get their hands on it to fund their wild ideas of some Green New Deal.
“The Green New Deal we are proposing will be similar in scale to the mobilization efforts seen in World War II or the Marshall Plan… Half measures will not work… The time for slow and incremental efforts has long past [sic].” – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, then-candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Huffington Post, June 26, 2018
This manifesto is very serious for they reject gradual change but are demanding immediate change to the economy. What has taken place among the Democrats is a band of newly elected members of Congress is accepting the leadership of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to push forward for this Green New Deal by sheer force. She is calling her proposal the most significant blueprint for system change in 100 years.
The core idea demands the mass conversion to renewable energy and zero emissions of greenhouse gases in the U.S. by 2030. Yes – Global Warming is a great excuse to raise taxes. They argue that a transition is not acceptable for it must be immediate action by the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from our multi-trillion-dollar food and farming system they claim is long overdue because farming and cows represent a degenerative food system generates that accounts for 44-57% of all global greenhouse gases.
Warren’s proposal will destroy the economy and lower economic growth providing the strongest incentive for capital to migrate to China. As Europe and the United States spiral downward economically, this is how our model will be correct in the shift from the United States to China of the title – Financial Capital of the World. India and China were where all the wealth was which peaked during the early 19th century. After the fall of Rome and them Byzantium, the Financial Capital of the World began to migrate to India. That peaked by about the 14th century as India gradually declined and it moved to China.
Following the Great Monetary Crisis of 1092, the Financial Capital of the World migrated to India – the land of the Spice Trade. Southern India has long imitated Roman gold coins to facilitate the local economy. We begin to see actual India coins but only under the Kushan Empire. Southern India continued to mint Roman imitations until the mid 3rd century AD. After that period, we begin to see actual India gold coins being struck showing that governments began to win the confidence of the people.
India’s economic boom period lasted about two Pi Cycles of approximately 630 years. The time period that it had captured the title of the Financial Capital of the World appears to be only about 224 years. China’s rise also lasted about 224 years. The rise of the United States has come into play for also about 224 years.
It’s just time. So thank you Warren and Ocasio-Cortez for ensuring our model will be correct once again. What these people refuse to ever look at is that the government is incapable of ever managing anything. Economic growth declines with rising taxation and regulation. No matter how many examples there are of how socialism destroys economies right down to present day Venezuela, they just cannot help themselves trying to change the very nature of human behavior. Any one who believes this tax will stay at $50 million+ is an absolute fool. History would beg to differ.
Will this end up causing a mass exodus of Americans? Yes! It will simply be time to turn out the lights and leave. This is how the United States will be destroyed like every other empire. Far too often there ends up more people in government living off the tax collections disprotionately to the living standards of the people paying taxes.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a press conference on the crisis in Venezuela, and introduces Elliot Abrams as the primary U.S. liaison and point-of-contact for the Venezuela Democracy Initiative.
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[Transcript] SECRETARY POMPEO: Good afternoon, everyone. Today I am incredibly excited to announce that a seasoned, principled, and tough-minded foreign policy veteran is joining our State Department team. Elliott Abrams is coming aboard to lead our efforts on Venezuela.
His critical work will get started right away. Tomorrow, he will travel with me to the UN Security Council, where the United States has called a long overdue meeting to urge other nations to support Venezuela’s democratic transition.
Elliott’s long career in foreign affairs includes a great deal of time as a senior leader in this very organization. Under President Reagan, he served as assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs and assistant secretary for inter-American affairs as well.
Under President George W. Bush, he served on the National Security Council as the senior director for democracy, human rights, and international affairs; senior director for North African and Near East affairs; and deputy national security adviser for global democracy strategy.
Elliott’s passion for the rights and liberties of all peoples makes him a perfect fit and a valuable and timely addition. This week, the Venezuelan people have rejected former President Maduro’s illegitimate rule. Consistent with Venezuela’s constitution, and with the support of the Venezuelan people and the National Assembly, Juan Guaido has declared himself the interim president of Venezuela.
These are just the first steps on Venezuela’s road to liberty. Elliott will be a true asset to our mission to help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country.
On this issue and all others, he is eager to advance President Trump’s agenda and promote the ideals and interests of the American people.
And now Elliott would like to say a few words.
MR ABRAMS: Thank you. Very briefly, I left this building 30 years ago this week, last time I worked here. So it’s very nice to be back. This crisis in Venezuela is deep and difficult and dangerous, and I can’t wait to get to work on it. Thank you.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Thanks.
MR PALLADINO: All right, guys, we’ve got time for a question or two. Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg, please.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Can you talk a little bit – in a little bit more detail about what Mr. Abrams will be doing, what will his first task be, what will his chief focus be, will he travel to the region? And also, can you talk a little bit about some of the – what will happen to Venezuela’s overseas assets? For example, the gold that it has in the Bank of England, money it has in overseas accounts – will the expectation be that the interim president would have control over those funds?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, as to your first question, Elliott will have responsibility for all things related to our efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela. It’s a global challenge. There are multiple dimensions to how we hope to assist the Venezuelans in achieving democracy there, and he will be responsible for leading that effort.
We have an enormous team here that’s done truly remarkable work to date to get us to the point we are at today, and they’ve done this over certainly my eight months, but long preceding that as well. I’m incredibly proud of the work that our State Department team has done to date. Elliott will now lead our effort that relates directly to our efforts on behalf of the Venezuelan people.
I would expect, though, that his first task will be to get up to speed and then travel with me to New York tomorrow morning for the UN Security Council meeting. And after that, I couldn’t tell you where it will take him. Wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up traveling to the region, but what – the road ahead will be driven by the demands of the Venezuelan people and how we can assist them in achieving the outcome that America wants them to achieve.
QUESTION: And on the overseas assets?
SECRETARY POMPEO: On the overseas assets, we’ll have announcements from other places later today talking about how it is that we anticipate the interim President Juan Guaido will have the resources he needs to lead the Government of Venezuela forward.
MR PALLADINO: Let’s take a question from South America, so NTN. Gustau, please.
QUESTION: NTN 24, Gustau Alegret. Among the countries that has not recognized Juan Guaido as president are Mexico and Uruguay, and both countries has offered their diplomacies in order to help in the crisis. Is the U.S. thinking to work with them, or is the U.S. asking them to recognize Guaido? What’s the position of the State Department with these two countries?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, we think every country ought to recognize the constitutional leader of Venezuela, and that’s who the United States has concluded Juan Guaido is, the interim president of Venezuela. We think every country ought to recognize the Venezuelan constitution, the demands of the Venezuelan people.
So whether it is Mexico or Uruguay or any other country, we hope to work with them to achieve the sense that we can ultimately have a free and fair election in Venezuela, where the voices of the Venezuelan people who, under the Maduro regime, have been starved. Enormous medical and humanitarian situation in Colombia, more than a million refugees have fled the horrors of the Maduro regime. We’ll work with all nations to try and achieve that outcome. We think every country ought to take steps towards achieving that, and not side with this cruel dictator in Venezuela who has caused so much devastation for the people of Venezuela.
MR PALLADINO: Wrap it up, sir?
SECRETARY POMPEO: I think one more.
MR PALLADINO: Let’s go to Washington Post. Carol Morello.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I think a lot of people are concerned about the diplomats who are down there. Would you tell us what you’re prepared to do if tomorrow, when the 72-hour deadline passes, they – the Venezuelans cut off electricity and water, maybe even surround the building, or even try to go in to bring out the diplomats by force? Could you be specific about what you are prepared to do in the event of any of these scenarios? And how can you assure people that they are protected?
SECRETARY POMPEO: I appreciate that question. There’s been no activity that’s taken more of our time over the past days than ensuring the protection of all those folks that are under our chief of mission authority there in Venezuela. We’re working diligently to make sure that they are protected. There’s no higher priority for the Secretary of State, and you should know no higher priority for the President of the United States. We have discussed this at some length.
With respect to the way we will deliver that, we’ve made clear to everyone that it is our expectation that the U.S. officials that are there, that have now been invited to be there by interim President Juan Guaido have a right, they have the privileges and immunities that accrue to having been invited to be there by the duly credentialed leader of Venezuela, and we have every expectation that those rights will continue to be protected.
You would have seen today that we have ordered a – have an ordered departure. We’re beginning to move some of our staff out. This is consistent with what the State Department does every day. The first briefing I get every morning is all around the world, every mission, every consulate, every facility where we have officers, I receive a briefing on risk and risk analysis. We’ll continue to do that in Venezuela. It is literally a 24/7, moment-by-moment exercise to evaluate risk to the people who work for me in the State Department, and we’ll get this right. We will make sure that we protect our folks on the ground and take all appropriate measures to ensure that they’re protected.
Here’s the remarks from earlier today when President Trump agreed to open government with a short-term continuing resolution that does not permit construction of the Southern border wall.
[NOTE: since this speech, the Senate and House quickly (less than 4 hours) passed a bill to re-open all government]
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[Transcript] Rose Garden – 2:17 P.M. EST – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. My fellow Americans, I am very proud to announce today that we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and re-open the federal government. (Applause.) As everyone knows, I have a very powerful alternative, but I didn’t want to use it at this time. Hopefully it will be unnecessary.
I want to thank all of the incredible federal workers, and their amazing families, who have shown such extraordinary devotion in the face of this recent hardship. You are fantastic people. You are incredible patriots. Many of you have suffered far greater than anyone, but your families would know or understand. And not only did you not complain, but in many cases you encouraged me to keep going because you care so much about our country and about its border security.
Again, I thank you. All Americans, I thank you. You are very, very special people. I am so proud that you are citizens of our country. When I say “Make America Great Again,” it could never be done without you. Great people.
In a short while, I will sign a bill to open our government for three weeks until February 15th. I will make sure that all employees receive their back pay very quickly, or as soon as possible. It’ll happen fast. I am asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to put this proposal on the floor immediately.
After 36 days of spirited debate and dialogue, I have seen and heard from enough Democrats and Republicans that they are willing to put partisanship aside — I think — and put the security of the American people first. I do believe they’re going to do that. They have said they are for complete border security, and they have finally and fully acknowledged that having barriers, fencing, or walls — or whatever you want to call it — will be an important part of the solution.
A bipartisan Conference Committee of House and Senate lawmakers and leaders will immediately begin reviewing the requests of our Homeland Security experts — and experts they are — and also law enforcement professionals, who have worked with us so closely. We want to thank Border Patrol, ICE, and all law enforcement. Been incredible. (Applause.)
Based on operational guidance from the experts in the field, they will put together a Homeland Security package for me to shortly sign into law.
Over the next 21 days, I expect that both Democrats and Republicans will operate in good faith. This is an opportunity for all parties to work together for the benefit of our whole beautiful, wonderful nation.
If we make a fair deal, the American people will be proud of their government for proving that we can put country before party. We can show all Americans, and people all around the world, that both political parties are united when it comes to protecting our country and protecting our people.
Many disagree, but I really feel that, working with Democrats and Republicans, we can make a truly great and secure deal happen for everyone.
Walls should not be controversial. Our country has built 654 miles of barrier over the last 15 years, and every career Border Patrol agent I have spoken with has told me that walls work. They do work. No matter where you go, they work. Israel built a wall — 99.9 percent successful. Won’t be any different for us.
They keep criminals out. They save good people from attempting a very dangerous journey from other countries — thousands of miles — because they think they have a glimmer of hope of coming through. With a wall, they don’t have that hope. They keep drugs out, and they dramatically increase efficiency by allowing us to patrol far larger areas with far fewer people. It’s just common sense. Walls work.
That’s why most of the Democrats in Congress have voted in the past for bills that include walls and physical barriers and very powerful fences. The walls we are building are not medieval walls. They are smart walls designed to meet the needs of frontline border agents, and are operationally effective. These barriers are made of steel, have see-through visibility, which is very important, and are equipped with sensors, monitors, and cutting-edge technology, including state-of-the-art drones.
We do not need 2,000 miles of concrete wall from sea to shining sea — we never did; we never proposed that; we never wanted that — because we have barriers at the border where natural structures are as good as anything that we can build. They’re already there. They’ve been there for millions of years.
Our proposed structures will be in pre-determined high-risk locations that have been specifically identified by the Border Patrol to stop illicit flows of people and drugs. No border security plan can ever work without a physical barrier. Just doesn’t happen.
At the same time, we need to increase drug detection technology and manpower to modernize our ports of entry, which are obsolete. The equipment is obsolete. They’re old. They’re tired. This is something we have all come to agree on, and will allow for quicker and safer commerce. These critical investments will improve and facilitate legal trade and travel through our lawful ports of entry.
Our plan also includes desperately needed humanitarian assistance for those being exploited and abused by coyotes, smugglers, and the dangerous journey north.
The requests we have put before Congress are vital to ending the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border. Absolutely vital. Will not work without it.
This crisis threatens the safety of our country and thousands of American lives. Criminal cartels, narco-terrorists, transnational gangs like MS-13, and human traffickers are brazenly violating U.S. laws and terrorizing innocent communities.
Human traffickers — the victims are women and children. Maybe to a lesser extent, believe or not, children. Women are tied up. They’re bound. Duct tape put around their faces, around their mouths. In many cases, they can’t even breathe. They’re put in the backs of cars or vans or trucks. They don’t go through your port of entry. They make a right turn going very quickly. They go into the desert areas, or whatever areas you can look at. And as soon as there’s no protection, they make a left or a right into the United States of America. There’s nobody to catch them. There’s nobody to find them.
They can’t come through the port, because if they come through the port, people will see four women sitting in a van with tape around their face and around their mouth. Can’t have that.
And that problem, because of the Internet, is the biggest problem — it’s never been like this before — that you can imagine. It’s at the worst level — human trafficking — in the history of the world. This is not a United States problem; this is a world problem. But they come through areas where they have no protection, where they have no steel barriers, where they have no walls. And we can stop almost 100 percent of that.
The profits reaped by these murderous organizations are used to fund their malign and destabilizing conduct throughout this hemisphere.
Last year alone, ICE officers removed 10,000 known or suspected gang members, like MS-13 and members as bad as them. Horrible people. Tough. Mean. Sadistic. In the last two years, ICE officers arrested a total of 266,000 criminal aliens inside of the United States, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 homicides or, as you would call them, violent, vicious killings. It can be stopped.
Vast quantities of lethal drugs — including meth, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine — are smuggled across our southern border and into U.S. schools and communities. Drugs kill much more than 70,000 Americans a year and cost our society in excess of $700 billion.
The sheer volume of illegal immigration has overwhelmed federal authorities and stretched our immigration system beyond the breaking point. Nearly 50 migrants a day are being referred for medical assistance — they are very, very sick — making this a health crisis as well. It’s a very big health crisis. People have no idea how big it is, unless you’re there.
Our backlog in the immigration courts is now far greater than the 800,000 cases that you’ve been hearing about over the last couple of years. Think of that, though: 800,000 cases because our laws are obsolete. So obsolete. They’re the laughing stock all over the world. Our immigration laws, all over the world — they’ve been there for a long time — are the laughing stock, all over the world.
We do not have the necessary space or resources to detain, house, vet, screen, and safely process this tremendous influx of people. In short, we do not have control over who is entering our country, where they come from, who they are, or why they are coming.
The result, for many years, is a colossal danger to public safety. We’re going to straighten it out. It’s not hard. It’s easy, if given the resources.
Last month was the third straight month in a row with 60,000 apprehensions on our southern border. Think of that. we apprehended 60,000 people. That’s like a stadium full of people. A big stadium.
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.)
The U.S. Embassy is remaining open and staffed; however, the State Department has requested all non-emergency U.S. government employees to leave Venezuela. Additionally, the U.S. embassy in Caracus is warning all American citizens to “strongly consider” departing the country while commercial flights are still available.
The security concerns surround a possibility an increasingly isolated dictator Nicolas Maduro may retaliate against Americans in Venezuela. National Security Adviser John Bolton discusses the current status.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department on Thursday ordered some U.S. government workers to leave Venezuela and said U.S. citizens should consider leaving the country, a day after Washington recognized an opposition politician as Venezuela’s president.
“We are taking this action based on our current assessment of the security situation in Venezuela. We have no plans to close the embassy,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro broke off diplomatic relations with Washington and gave U.S. embassy personnel three days to leave the country after President Donald Trump on Wednesday recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as president. (read more)
Additionally, Maduro has now stated he will close all Venezuela embassy locations within the United States…. That should be interesting.
President Donald Trump delivers remarks after the Senate failed to pass legislation to fund government and provide border security. The president reiterates the need for the border wall/fence, and says Senate Leader Mitch McConnell is negotiating with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for an interim compromise.
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