US President Donald Trump, reacting to a Washington Post article, on Wednesday tweeted that it was a "totally Fake story" and was made up "in order to demean and disparage."
Another totally Fake story in the Amazon Washington Post (lobbyist) which states that if my Aides broke the law to build the Wall (which is going up rapidly), I would give them a Pardon. This was made up by the Washington Post only in order to demean and disparage - FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2019
In the WaPo article it was claimed that POTUS, in speaking to aides involved in attempting to get the border wall built, said that he would pardon them if they carry out orders described as "illegal or unworkable."
According to The Washington Post, citing Trump aides, the US president, when commenting on "contracting procedures and the use of eminent domain", said simply: "take the land."
“He said people expected him to build a wall, and it had to be done by the election,” a former official said, cited by The Washington Post.
At the same time, an unnamed White House official told The Washington Post that Trump was joking when he promised pardons for illegal activity.
Caravans of migrants from Central American countries seeking asylum began to move toward the United States through Mexico last fall. Trump called the surge of arrivals a 'crisis' and declared a national emergency in February in a failed attempt to secure funds to build a wall on the border with Mexico.
The Trump administration has implemented various policies such as the Remain in Mexico plan, which appears to have resulted in a decline of apprehensions of illegal immigrants at the US-Mexico border. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan claimed that the number of apprehensions dropped by at least 40 percent since May.
