President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, William Barr, once questioned the value of a wall along the Mexican border similar to the one the president has advocated, describing the idea as « overkill. »
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, William Barr, once questioned the value of a wall along the Mexican border similar to the one the president has advocated, describing the idea as « overkill. »
Barr was attorney general under President George H. W. Bush when he was asked in a Feb. 24,1992, interview whether he supported a proposal from Republican presidential challenger Pat Buchanan to erect a barrier of ditches and fences along the border to stop illegal immigration.
« I don’t think it’s necessary. I think that’s overkill to put a barrier from one side of the border to the other, » Barr replied on « The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour » on PBS. « In fact, the problem with illegal immigration across the border is really confined to major metropolitan areas. Illegal immigrants do not cross in the middle of the desert and walk hundreds of miles, » instead choosing more « certain specified routes. »
Those routes through more populated areas have since largely been closed off, pushing migrants to riskier desert routes.
Other public statements by Barr from his tenure as attorney general and within the last year suggest a hardened immigration approach more in line with the broader security measures Trump and his advisers have discussed.
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on whether Barr’s views on a wall have changed, but pointed to other comments from his tenure in which he described fences as effective in stopping drugs and illegal immigration. As attorney general, he also announced the hiring of additional agents to patrol the border and promoted upgraded fencing and investments in sensors and other technology.
