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'Trump Wall' prompts more illegal immigration

Posted May. 27, 2016 08:12,   

Updated May. 27, 2016 08:17

한국어

The U.S. daily newspaper Washington Post reported on Thursday that an increasing number of immigrants are rushing their way into the States as Donald Trump, who is known for his strong anti-immigrant stance, is fast emerging as a presidential candidate from the Republican Party.

According to the data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of undocumented immigrants who were got caught trying to sneak their way into the U.S. soil through the South-Western border stood at 38,135, an all-time high since July 2014. The figure jumped 28 percent year-on-year.

Most of those people are from Central American countries including Mexico and Guatemala. After Donald Trump announced his plan to erect a 9-meter to 17-meter tall wall along the border with Mexico to stem the flow of Mexican immigrants into the U.S., a growing number of people are trying to enter America.

Even now, there is a 6-meter high steel fence running across the 3,218-kilometer border between the U.S. and Mexico, making it difficult for most people to pass the border without ladders or ropes. Some people even dig up a tunnel beneath the border. Once the “Trump Wall” is erected, however, it will be practically impossible to overpass the border. Catalina Maldonado (34), who got caught trying to sneak into the U.S. territory from El Salvador early this year, said, “When I heard Trump’s pledge, I thought this must be my last chance.”

As Trump’s pledge is backfiring by prompting more people to enter the U.S. soil illegally, even some of his supporters are expressing opposition to him. Ruben Villarreal, former mayor of Rio Grande City, Texas, said. “His pledge to set up a wall across the border is only prompting those wishing to move into the U.S. to further venture into the country. The number of immigrants will continue to rise until the presidential election in November.”



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