Donald Trump Jr. appearance highlighted ‘We Build The Wall’ symposium in Sunland Park
A multi-day event featuring prominent Republicans at the privately funded U.S.-Mexico border wall for a symposium to discuss and debate immigration issues ended Saturday in Sunland Park.
Panels discussed border security, drug trafficking and migrant detention centers, among other topics.
Leaders in attendance included Steve Bannon, the former White House Chief Strategist, and Kris Kobach, the general counsel for ‘We Build The Wall.’
In a panel moderated by Bannon, Immigration and Customs Enforcement union leader Chris Cane spoke about the agency. He said that due to political protest movements and some lawmakers, it feels like ICE agent have a “target on our backs.”
“It’s a real battleground for us out there and it’s only gonna get worse,” he said, and called on President Trump to help. The crowd cheered.
President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also made an appearance at the event.
He opened his remarks by telling the crowd, “We have to take care of America First,” invoking his father’s longstanding campaign theme.
“The American people see promises made and promises kept,” Trump Jr. said of his father’s immigration and other policies. “You’ve got someone getting it done.”
In an apparent shot at former President Obama, Trump Jr. ended by proclaiming to the crowd that “Americans are better off today than they were three years ago.” (You can watch Trump Jr.’s entire remarks in the video player below.)
Democratic presidential candidate and El Pasoan Beto O’Rourke reacted to the event in a statement, saying in part, “The Symposium at the Wall is focused not on facts but on fear. A giant wall along our southern border will not make us more secure. Just as caging children and refugees and asylum seekers will never make us great.”
