President Donald Trump surprised reporters at the White House briefing room on Thursday, continuing his demand for wall funding.
The president was joined by border patrol agents and other immigration enforcement officials for the briefing, asking them to make their case to the American people for more border security and the wall.
“Without a very strong form of barrier — call it what you will — but without a wall, you cannot have border security,” Trump declared. “It won’t work.”
Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, was present with the president and defended the idea of a wall.
“I promise you that if you interview Border Patrol agents, they will tell you that walls work,” Judd said, thanking the president for standing up for border security.
Judd recalled working in Naco, Arizona where illegal immigration drug smuggling was extremely difficult until physical barriers were built.
“Anywhere that you look, where we have built walls, they have worked,” he said. “They have been an absolute necessity for Border Patrol agents in securing the border.”
Other agents from the National Border Patrol Council included Paul Perez, Alberto Trevino, Hector Garza, and Arturo Del Cueto.
“We are all affected by this shutdown. We have skin in the game,” Del Cueto said. “However, it comes down to border security and we are extremely grateful to President Trump, and we fully support what he is doing to take care of our nation’s borders, to take care of the future of this United States.”
Chris Crane, the president of the National ICE Council and Leann Mezzacapo, the executive vice president, also joined the president.
Trump said that he would continue fighting for more border security, despite Democrats taking the House majority in Congress. He dismissed Democrat calls for more drones and sensors to help monitor the border.
“Having drones and various other forms of sensors, they’re all fine, but they’re not going to stop the problems that this country has. ” Trump said.
This was President Trump’s first time in the White House Press briefing room, but he did not take questions from reporters.