President Trump Expected to Announce Steps on Border Wall

ByALEXANDER MALLIN ABCNews logo
Wednesday, January 25, 2017

President Donald Trump is expected to announce a series of steps today that could lay the groundwork for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a longtime campaign pledge of Trump's.

According to a senior administration source, the announcement will accompany Trump's afternoon visit to the Department of Homeland Security. The president teased an announcement regarding the wall in a tweet Tuesday evening.

Administration officials have not released specifics about how the border wall will be paid for, but the money may come from federal funds that have been diverted from other programs.

Trump has repeatedly pledged that Mexico would pay for the wall's construction. Recent comments from Trump, however, have suggested that Mexico will reimburse the federal government after construction gets underway. Mexican government officials have balked at paying for the wall.

This move is supposed to be one of many executive actions related to immigration.

Sources also tell ABC News that the president could announce actions to suspend some immigration from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, either temporarily or "indefinitely." The sources said any actions could also impact refugees from countries with Muslim populations. Trump proposed a ban on all Muslim immigration on a temporary basis early on in his presidential campaign, but has since amended his position.

The White House would not officially confirm any immediate pending actions by Trump.

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