“People in our so-called Rust Belt have lost out, and politics and society have not been responsive either in providing the kind of additional support they need or to retrain them for jobs that are being created in the new economy.”

The Mexican people are increasingly middle class, and Mexico has substantially become a middle-class society.

We can’t defend the country by looking at the borderline as the first line of defense rather than as the last line of defense.

Migration should take place in accordance with lawful norms and secure and safe procedures.

Trust and confidence that have been built is not something that should be abandoned without great consideration for the potentially grave consequences to the United States.

We must rely on our allies and foreign governments to share information and data to secure our country.

As a result of the U.S.-Mexico War in the 19th century, and the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, half of what was Mexico was severed and became much of the western part of the United States.

We have a combined population of half a billion people; peaceful trade-friendly borders that are the envy of the world.

Migrants come up and no longer seek to evade the Border Patrol, but are actually left at the border by their smugglers.

As former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano pointed out, if you build a 50-foot wall, you’ll soon be confronted with a 51-foot ladder.

Every air traveler entering Mexico is vetted against US databases.

The cry of “Make America Great Again” reflects accurately that, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the sole superpower status of the United States is coming to an end.

During the last eight to 10 years there have been continued efforts which have resulted in a strategic alliance with the Mexicans and improved safety and security at the border.

There are plainclothes US officers stationed at airports in Mexico working with Mexican immigration officials to protect the United States.

America should be working more with the Mexicans to prevent the flow of guns going south into Mexico that have fueled so much of the violence there.

Walls and barriers alone are insufficient to insure security.

We make things together. We have shared production platforms.