WASHINGTON _ The Trump administration may send more troops to the border, officials said Tuesday, as delays grow at ports of entry and the president contemplates closing all or some of the crossings this week.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has conferred with the Pentagon about the possibility, an aide said. President Donald Trump first ordered the National Guard to the border a year ago.
"The secretary has been in constant communication with the acting secretary of defense," a senior Department of Homeland Security official told reporters Tuesday. "Right now we're receiving extensive DOD support. ... We've been in conversations with DOD about how to bolster that support."
Trump threatened last week to shut the border, drawing sharp warnings of economic chaos and devastation in Texas and other border states, and in industries that rely on cross-border trade. Customs personnel have been shifted to the border from around the country, and away from ports of entry, to help patrol more remote areas.
"The system is on fire. The president has tweeted this morning about the crisis. We are genuinely in an emergency," the DHS official said in a briefing call, speaking on condition he not be identified by name. "We now face what we call a systemwide meltdown."
The official acknowledged that the moves have already had an impact on lawful trade.
Wait times in Brownsville on Monday were around 180 minutes, twice as long as peak last year. At Otay Mesa crossing in San Diego, the day ended with a backup of 150 trucks that hadn't been processed.
"This will not be without impact on the American people," the official said. "When it comes to port closures, that all depends on how the situation unfolds this week."
At the White House, press secretary Sarah Sanders sidestepped questions about what authority the president has to close the border, saying that "Democrats are leaving us absolutely no choice at this point. ... It may be that it's the best decision that we close the border."
Asked about the economic impact, she said, "It's not our first choice." But she said, "His No. 1 priority is to protect life."
Trump will visit Calexico, Calif., on Friday, where about two miles of 30-foot steel slat fencing replaced a much shorter fence last October made of aging Vietnam-era landing pad material.
Sanders said the president "is not working on a specific timeline" for ordering border closures, though last week he said he will likely issue such an order by the end of this week. She said he remains hopeful that Mexico will do more to process asylum seekers and prevent them from reaching the U.S. border.
Democrats have blasted the threat, as have some Republicans. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said a border closure "would be bad for everybody."
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, called it a "grave mistake that would have disastrous consequences for our economy."
He noted that $1.5 billion worth of cargo crosses to and from Mexico every day through ports of entry. "Closing our southern border would severely disrupt the flow of goods along the border, hurting both the American and Mexican economies," he said.
And he defended Mexico's efforts, saying that Central American migrants are being detained and returned to their home countries at the same rates as in years past _ 13,000 in March alone.
He criticized Trump's threat to cut aid to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, the source of the migrants _ aid intended to improve conditions in those countries to blunt the urge to flee.
"We must start playing defense on the 20-yard line and address the root causes of mass migration, such as violence and poverty," Cuellar said.
