President Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security pointedly denounced Donald Trump’s proposal to build a wall on the southern border of the United States, mocking the idea for its simplicity.
“As a sovereign nation we must protect our borders, but building a wall across the entire southwest border is not the answer,” DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said as the audience applauded. Johnson made his remarks during a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, in which he promoted Obama’s commitment to amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Johnson ridiculed the idea that an illegal immigrant from South America who traveled through Mexico would be deterred by a wall.
“As somebody else once said, ‘Build a 15 foot wall and I’ll show you a 15 foot ladder,” he said.
Johnson reported that 700 miles of wall have been built strategically as a result of a 2006 law passed by Congress, but that he was opposed to more walls.
“For the future, more walls is not necessarily the answer,” he said. “More technology for border security, not more walls.”
Johnson also dismissed the idea that it would be possible to deport the entire illegal immigrant population.
“We are not going to deport 11 million people,” he said. “They live among us, we know them, they are becoming integrated members of society.
After his speech, Johnson participated in a Q-and-A with Rep. Luis Gutiérrez arguing that the Obama administration had decreased its number of deportations.
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