Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he hopes President Trump’s pledged wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is completed within two years.
“The wall will be built where it’s needed first, and then it will be filled in. That’s the way I look at it,” Mr. Kelly said in an interview with Fox News this week. “I really hope to have it done within the next two years.”
Mr. Kelly said that in addition to physical barriers, the discussion about protecting the United States’ southwestern border involves things like technological sensors and personnel to back it up.
He said the White House is working with Congress — which might have to front the money if Mexico continues to refuse to pay for it — on the timetable.
“I think the funding will come relatively quickly and, like I said, we will build it where it’s needed first as identified by the men and women who work the border,” Mr. Kelly said.
“If we could surge the court proceedings — immigration court proceedings on the border — and within the law, do it very rapidly … I think that alone would act as a huge deterrent for people who are considering making the trip up,” he said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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