"The WALL Act will provide full funding for construction of a physical barrier along our southern border to protect against illegal immigration and stop those who wish to do us harm, such as terrorists, gang members and drug dealers, from entering the United States from the south," Rounds said in the release. "It pays for the wall by closing existing loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to receive federal benefits and increasing fines for illegal border crossings and visa overstays.
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Rounds said the primary responsibility of the US federal government is to defend the United States, which includes ensuring strong border security.
"By funding the wall through increased fines, we prevent any risk of dipping into the Department of Defense funding, which is already stretched thin. I thank Chairman Inhofe for his leadership on this effort and I look forward to advancing this proposal in the Senate," the senator said.
Democrats has been previously resisting Trump's demands for funds to build his promised wall, what has resulted in a partial shutdown of the US federal government since December 22.
