President Trump signed two executive actions on Wednesday, putting plans for his wall on the Southern border of the United States into motion and increasing security inside the country.
“A nation without borders is not a nation,” Trump said after the signing ceremony. “Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders, gets back its borders.”
After the orders were signed, Vice President Mike Pence swore in Gen. John Kelly as the Department of Homeland Security Secretary.
Donald Trump explained that when he asked his Department of Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis for suggestions of whom to choose as head of the Department of Homeland Security, Mattis recommended Gen. Kelly “without hesitation”
“He’s a rough, tough guy but he’s also got a good heart,” Trump added.
Trump addressed a large audience of DHS employees and reporters, promising to help them do their jobs at the border.
“This is a law enforcement agency,” he said. “But for too long your offices and agents haven’t been allowed to properly do your jobs.”
He said that he would focus on enforcing existing laws on immigration and security, rather than trying to pass new laws. Trump specifically addressed families who lost loved ones as a result of illegal immigrant crime.
Trump said that pundits and the media have ignored victims of open borders. “To all of those hurting out there, I repeat to you these words. We hear you, we see you and you will never, ever be ignored again,” he said.
He vowed to support law enforcement officials for enforcing the rule of law in the United States.
“When it comes to public safety, there is no place for politics; no Republicans, no Democrats, just citizens,” he said.