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McALLEN, Tex. – When a president arrives in town, there are two realities: the one that the White House hopes to create and the one that actually exists.
President Trump arrived Thursday in this city on the Mexican border. dramatize his desire for a wall of borders, a hardened position that caused the partial closure of the federal government.
He surrounded himself with border agents, victims of horrific crimes, an exhibition of methamphetamine and heroin, an AK-47 and a 39 An AR-15 rifle and a garbage bag containing $ 362,062 in cash, confiscated by law enforcement officers.
In his opinion, it all boiled down to one word, "crisis", with a unique solution, the construction of a wall – a point he stressed during a discussion with the victims of crime, law enforcement officials and McAllen residents.
"It's all saying," Mr. Trump said about smuggling. "They did not have to go very far. All this is very recent. "
But there was another reality. The display of drugs, weapons and money was mainly the product of police applications arresting criminals on international bridges, where most drugs were smuggled, and conventional entry points
in a place where a wall was already in place, the police officials were boasting to apprehend the criminals who had built a tunnel. The money was stolen from a suspect who had exceeded his visa.
A few miles south of McAllen, he stood near a cliff above the Rio Grande, with Mexico nearby. There were more border officers, a range of military vehicles and a helicopter overflight, the officers saluting the commander-in-chief. Sean Hannity, the host of the Fox, was waiting for an exclusive interview nearby and was nearby.
Hundreds of people lined up on a nearby highway, many signs supporting Mr. Trump. Customs officers who met for the meeting also warmly applauded. The former police chief of a nearby town, Joe Cantu, wore a baseball cap and a Make America Great Again t-shirt.
"They arrive in the waves of Banzai," said Mr. Cantu about immigrants entering Texas.
Other signs told a different story. They said, "No wall, no hate," "We are all immigrants" and "Our only crisis is Trump's failed presidency."
On the way between the meeting and the photo shoot along the Rio Grande, the president's motorcade also passed numerous product distribution centers, large, low-rise buildings that employ hundreds of people. These companies are a product of Nafta, the trade agreement with Mexico and Canada that Mr. Trump called the worst, but which has transformed southern Texas over the past two decades.
The McAllen area is strongly democrat and a local congressman opposes the wall, as do many local officials. Still, the scene was a draw.
"I just wanted to get a picture," said Veronica Whitacre, city commissioner and native of McAllen. "It's sad for southern Texas that people believe we live in a dangerous place. When I go to places, people ask me where I come from and I say McAllen. And people say, "Are you O.K.?", 191900930The city is definitely O.K. in crime, which has almost reached its lowest level in 30 years. The president did not talk about that. "You're going to have a crime in Iowa, you'll have a crime in New Hampshire, you'll have a crime in New York without a wall," Trump said. Trump has not discussed the significant increase in the number of children separated from their families as a result of his radical immigration policy. He spoke only of a few streets of a detention center, but did not come in. When a reporter asked him if he would visit him, the president said he would, but that would be up to the secret services. He did not leave.
He also criticized the Democrats who accused him of trying to create a crisis to justify his demand for $ 5.7 billion in border barriers. "What is manufactured, that is the word manufactured," said the president.
Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security who accompanied Mr. Trump to Texas, reiterated the position of the administration that the border situation is a crisis.
who claim that it was manufactured, she "insulted" the Americans. To this, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who joined the president and his entourage, added, "When we see politicians go on TV and say that the border is safe and that it is n & # 39; There is no crisis, they ignore the reality. "
To be outdone, Texas Lieutenant-Governor Dan Patrick added," For those who say that it is an invented crisis, it's a concealment made by your opposition. "
Democrats insisted that the administration face a large-scale situation. humanitarian problem that stems directly from Mr. Trump's policy, but argue that a border wall is not the right solution and that Mr. Trump has failed to demonstrate that he There was a real security crisis.
A friendly local pastor At a round table, the president pointed out that the crisis was of a "humanitarian" nature
. However, Mr. Trump said that he had a "perception of the situation" and that he could feel the Democrats heading for his position.
"I know you do not see it yet, but I have an idea of things and I really think the other side starts to understand.
Democrat representative Vicente Gonzalez, whose district includes McAllen, was in Washington while the president was traveling to his hometown. But he keeps a close watch on Mr. Trump's trip.
"It's all theatrical," Gonzalez said in an interview, before insisting that Trump was trying to somehow escape the closure of the government by a victory. Gonzalez added, "He's trying to land, and I think he knows time is not on his side. He came to the border to try to make a final point. "
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