Donald Trump returned to Twitter on Saturday night to express how pleased he is with United States border security during his short time in the White House. However, Trump's remarks were quickly fact-checked and debunked.
Trump's border tweet
On the day that Donald Trump announced his campaign for president back in June 2015, he quickly caused controversy by labeling illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers." The former host of "The Apprentice" was quick to make immigration reform a cornerstone of his campaign, vowing to deport over 11 million illegal immigrants while building a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
In addition, Trump promised that Mexico would be financially responsible for the cost of the wall, an issue that the country has since pushed back on. After nominating John F. Kelly to become the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Trump appears pleased with the job that he's done, which was evident during his latest Twitter message on March 26.
General Kelly is doing a great job at the border. Numbers are way down. Many are not even trying to come in anymore.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2017
Taking to his Twitter account on Saturday night, Donald Trump attempted to deflect from the ongoing scandal involving Russia and the recent Republican health care debacle by making a questionable statement about immigration.
"General Kelly is doing a great job at the border. Numbers are way down," Trump tweeted, before adding, "Many are not even trying to come in anymore." Trump's final remark was the one that raised questions and appears to conflict with the reality of the situation.
@realDonaldTrump For anyone that cares about facts https://t.co/r0AYTNkiUC
— Julie (@techynerd52) March 27, 2017
Trump debunked
Over the last year and a half, Donald Trump routinely claimed that illegal immigrants have been "pouring over the border," while allegedly engaging in selling drugs, raping women, and taking jobs from hard working legal American citizens.
Despite this, a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center shows net immigration from Mexico had been down over the last decade. "More Mexican immigrants have returned to Mexico from the U.S. than have migrated here since the end of the Great Recession," the study confirmed. While Trump was quick to take credit for the decrease in Illegal Immigration, facts show that the change in direction occurred way before he even announced his candidacy for president, let alone getting elected and sworn into office.
