President Donald Trump’s first prime-time address from the Oval Office reiterated his belief that the “crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border can only be solved with his wall. His critics argue that the security risks are overblown. Trump argued for funding on security and humanitarian grounds as he sought to put pressure on newly empowered Democrats amid an extended partial government shutdown. Trump called on Democrats to return to the White House to meet with him, saying it was “immoral” for “politicians to do nothing”. Previous meetings have led to no agreement. 

Responding in their own televised remarks, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of misrepresenting the situation on the border as they urged him to reopen closed government departments and turn loose paychecks for hundreds of thousands of workers. Trump, who has long railed against illegal immigration at the border, has recently seized on humanitarian concerns to argue there is a broader crisis that can only be solved with a wall. But critics say the security risks are overblown and the administration is at least partly 
to blame for the humanitarian situation.

 
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