Mexico Said It Would Not Pay For A Wall And Said Trump’s Comments Suggesting They Would Showed “An Enormous Ignorance For What Mexico Represents, And Also The Irresponsibility Of The Candidate Who's Saying It.” “The Mexican government says it won't help pay for a wall along its border with the U.S., a proposal pushed by Republican front-runner Donald Trump. ‘Of course it's false,’ Eduardo Sanchez, a spokesman for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, told Bloomberg for a story published late Wednesday. ‘It reflects an enormous ignorance for what Mexico represents, and also the irresponsibility of the candidate who's saying it,’ Sanchez added, referring to Trump. He added that the Mexican government is not taking Trump's statements seriously.” [The Hill, 8/13/15] Based On Past G.A.O. Estimates For Fencing, Trump’s 1,000 Mile Border Wall Would Cost $3.5 Billion. “Meanwhile, the cost of completing a wall along the 2,000-mile border would be in the billions. The U.S. spent $2.4 billion for 670 miles of fencing between 2006 and 2009, according to a Government Accountability Office report. On Fox, Trump estimated that completing a wall along the southern border would require enclosing about 1,000 miles along the border. Using the previous costs as a benchmark, and without adjusting for inflation, that would put the total price tag for completion at $3.58 billion.” [Bloomberg, 8/13/15] TRUMP SLIGHTLY BACKED OFF OF HIS WALL PROPOSAL, SAYING IT COULD ONLY APPLY TO “CERTAIN SECTIONS” Trump Changed His Position On A Full Southern Border Wall, Stating “In Certain Sections, You Have To Have A Wall.” “On the campaign trail in recent weeks, Trump has shed little light on his actual plans for dealing with illegal immigration beyond generalizations that have often seemed far-fetched. Initially, he said he would build a wall and make Mexico pay for it. On Thursday, during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, he seemed to reverse course under questioning by CNN's Dana Bash. ‘In certain sections, you have to have a wall,’ he said.” [CNN, 7/24/15] TRUMP PROPOSED TRIPLING THE NUMBER OF ICE AGENTS AT THE BORDER Trump Called For Tripling The Number Of ICE Agents Who Secure The Border To 15,000. “Trump’s plan also calls for tripling the number of ICE officers who secure the border from the current 5,000. The Republican frontrunner wants ICE officers to work with local police departments across the country targeting gangs in order to find undocumented immigrants.” [ABC News, 8/16/15] Trump On The U.S. Border: “We Have No Protection And We Have No Competence.” “They’re sending us not the right people. It's coming all over south and Latin America and it's coming probably, probably from the Middle East, but we don't know because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don't know what is happening and it has got to stop and it has to stop fast.” [Donald Trump Presidential Campaign Announcement, 6/16/15] UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS TRUMP CLAIMED THAT HALF OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WERE CRIMINALS Confidential Page 141