Chief of Staff General John Kelly told lawmakers on Capitol Hill yesterday that there would be no wall across the entire southern border between the U.S. and Mexico, and that Mexico would not be paying for a wall. There will be no wall “that Mexico will pay for,” Kelly said.
Kelly was meeting with Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill in an effort to break an impasse over immigration that might force the government to shut down tomorrow. When asked why what Kelly was saying didn’t match what President Trump had said many times on the campaign trail, Kelly reportedly said, “Certain things are said during the campaign that are uninformed…many campaigns are not fully informed about every policy and that campaigning and governing are two different things and that governing is harder.”
Kelly went on to disavow the notion that there would be a large concrete wall from the West Coast to the East Coast. Instead, Kelly said, there would be a “physical barrier” in many places. Kelly reportedly said that concrete is not a realistic solution in many places, noting that geography, among other things makes a continuous, concrete wall unrealistic. What we need, he said, is “700 more miles of barrier.” He also said that manpower and drone technology should all the security that is needed in some parts
Kelly told lawmakers that the president remains committed to finding a solution for DACA, and the six-month extension was a result of his prodding. “I worked to get the six-month extension of DACA. I ordered that. I managed that. And everyone has thanked me for that,” he said.
But in an interview later in the day, Kelly expressed optimism that a deal will ultimately get done. “There’s no doubt in my mind there’s going to be a deal,” he said. “So long as men and women on both sides are willing to talk.”