Donald Trump to announce border wall construction

  • Updated
  • 25/01/2017

United States President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order starting construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border, according to administration officials.

The order will be signed on Wednesday (local time) and will be one of many regarding immigration, which was a hot topic in Mr Trump's candidacy, US media outlets are reporting.

Mr Trump headed to Twitter to confirm the plan for the wall is on Wednesday's agenda.

His controversial proposed border wall along Mexico and the US has been widely criticised and questions remain over who will pay for the construction.

Current plans see the US initially funding the wall, however Mr Trump has continued to insist Mexico will pay the Americans back.

Former Mexican president Vincente Fox was unimpressed by Mr Trump's calls, saying Mexico won't pay for "his racist monument".

Also expected to be signed on Wednesday are executive orders banning refugees from entering the US, until more aggressive vetting is put in place, and block visas being issued to anyone from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

On the campaign trail, Mr Trump initially proposed a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, which he said would protect Americans from jihadist attacks.

Both Mr Trump and his nominee for attorney general, Senator Jeff Sessions, have since said they would focus the restrictions on countries whose migrants could pose a threat, rather than a ban on those of a specific religion.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday the State and Homeland Security Departments would work on the vetting process once Mr Trump's nominee to head the State Department, Rex Tillerson, is installed.

Other measures may include directing all agencies to finish work on a biometric identification system for non-citizens entering and exiting the United States and a crackdown on immigrants fraudulently receiving government benefits, according to the congressional aides and immigration experts.

Mr Trump has already signed several executive orders since his inauguration on Friday (local time), most recently resurrecting the controversial Dakota and Keystone XL pipeline projects.

Newshub. / Reuters