Trump’s bold threat to shut down the U.S. southern border with Mexico appears to have been more of a negotiating tactic than anything else, as the president has announced that he was happy what Mexico has done in the past few days to prevent immigrants from Central America to cross over into the U.S.
"Let's see if they keep it done," said Trump, adding "Now, if they don't, or if we don't make a deal with Congress, the border's going to be closed, 100 percent."
But whether it was threat or not, shutting down the border would hurt trade and jeopardize thousands of American jobs.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R), like his colleague Sen. John Cornyn (R), and who is supportive of President Trump’s stance along the border, said that if the president shut down the border, that the effects would be devastating to the local and state economies, and would put “millions of jobs that depend upon trade with Mexico” at risk.
"Of course, we should secure the border. We must," Cruz said in a statement. "Our broken immigration system and years of unwillingness to secure our southern border has produced a security and humanitarian crisis. ... But the answer is not to punish those who are legally crossing the border. The answer is not to punish Texas farmers and ranchers and manufacturers and small businesses.
"Closing legal points of entry would harm American commerce and legal transit between Mexico and the United States, and leave coyotes and human traffickers to roam free in the wilderness of our unsecured border."
