President Donald Trump is saying he needs to use emergency powers to protect the nation from drug dealers and illegal immigrants.
The president Friday declared a national emergency and plans to find other funds for the wall after expressing unhappiness about a congressional border security deal.
Collinsville Republican Congressman John Shimkus says a friend of his at the southern border tells him it's dangerous there.
"I just think we don't appreciate the NARCO traffickers, obviously the human smuggling that's going on, the drugs that are coming across, especially the Fentanyl. We're pretty far away from that tough area."
Shimkus says this move isn't as unusual as people might think. He says there have been around 30 emergency declarations since the National Emergencies Act was enacted in 1976.
President Trump has signed legislation to avert another government shutdown and pay for limited fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The legislation gives Trump 55 additional miles of border fencing, well short of the 200-plus miles he wanted.
Congressman Shimkus says there are no political winners in situations that involve government shutdowns.
"People are going to have to draw their own conclusions based upon what they believe is true and right, like we do. I have to cast a vote and it ended up being as good as we could get. I wanted to be supportive of the president. He was going to sign the bill, so that's why I was all for it."
The congressman also Thursday requested that his name be added to H.R. 714, the EL CHAPO Act. This legislation would reserve any amounts forfeited to the United States Government as a result of the criminal prosecution of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera (commonly known as “El Chapo”), for security measures along the Southern border — including the completion of a border wall.
