The son of former President Ronald Reagan issued a warning for President Donald Trump this week, telling the president that this is his last chance to get the funding that he needs to build the border wall.
“Hey @POTUS in 1986 my father made a deal with the Democrats Amnesty for Border Security my father is still waiting,” Michael Reagan tweeted on Thursday. “U have no choice its now or never. #BuildTheWallNow.”
“The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 allowed any illegal immigrants who had been in the U.S. since 1982 to receive temporary legal status and eventually become eligible for green cards if they learned English,” The Washington Examiner reported. “The legislation also attempted to boost border security by increasing funding for the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Border Patrol. … The measure also sought to crack down on illegal immigration by barring employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.”
The number of illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1986, from approximately 5 million to 11.1 million, according to The Washington Post.
President Trump announced this week that he would not sign a budget bill because it did not include funding for the border wall.
“When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership,” Trump tweeted. “Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn’t happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries – but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!”
“Even President Ronald Reagan tried for 8 years to build a Border Wall, or Fence, and was unable to do so,” Trump tweeted on Friday. “Others also have tried. We will get it done, one way or the other!”
Trump’s announcement sent lawmakers scrambling as they tried to find a way to avoid a partial government shutdown.
The House of Representatives approved $5.7 billion for the border wall late on Thursday and the Senate voted in favor of allowing a vote on the bill, which eventually went nowhere.
Fox News reports:
The partial shutdown began at midnight Saturday, a few hours after House and Senate adjourned without getting a funding agreement to the president’s desk. The shutdown was expected to last at least a few days, with sources on both sides of the aisle telling Fox News that Washington could be in for a prolonged shutdown. The White House, however, was projecting confidence that they could secure a deal.