(Image source from: www.thehindu.com)
Days after Indian American lawmaker announced his support to President Donald Trump substantial troop withdrawal from war-ravaged Afghanistan, now an Indian American Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi seemed to be supporting Trump's move on border security.
Krishnamoorthi, who was re-elected from Illinois 8th Congressional district, said he favors some kind of physical barrier along the international border with Mexico.
Trump wants to build the United States-Mexico border wall, in order to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. and is seeking USD 5.2 million in funding for the physical barrier.
The Democrats assert that such a move is a "waste" of taxpayers' money. The crisis has led to a government shutdown with no solution even after a recent White House meeting between President Trump and top Congressional leaders.
"We're open to some physical barriers. Certainly, there's already fencing on the border. There's 700 miles of fencing on the border," Krishnamoorthi told CNN in an interview.
Krishnamoorthi, 45, said that the President has changed his positions on border security so many times, that it's really hard to know where he stands.
"For me personally, we have to fight illegal immigration and protect our borders. I think that there is a lot of support for enhancing border security. But there's no support for a wall," he said.
"But I just defer to people like Congressman Will Hurd, a Republican, who has 800 miles of this border, who says we can't have a cement wall sea to shining sea, which was what the president tried to convey initially when he talked about a wall. I think he's changed his position on this issue as well, but that we can’t have," he added.
Krishnamoorthi also called for the end of the existing government shutdown.
"The majority of Americans not only oppose a wall, but the vast majority of Americans don’t want a shutdown because of the wall. And so let’s open up government now," Krishnamoorthi said.
Krishnamoorthi said he would oppose anything that is being called as a wall.
"It can't just be based on a campaign slogan, which is the wall. The wall has become a big keep out sign to the rest of the world. And that's not what we want," he said.
-Sowmya Sangam
