Immigrants from Central America seeking asylum prepare for bed at Travis Park Church, which is serving as a make-shift shelter, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio. The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a practice it has long mocked as 鈥渃atch and release.鈥� (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
WASHINGTON 鈥� President Donald Trump eased up on his threats to close the southern border as officials across his administration explored half-measures that might satisfy the president鈥檚 urge for action, like stopping only foot traffic at certain crossings.
Facing a surge of Central American migrants trying to enter the U.S., Trump last week threatened to seal the border this week if Mexico did not immediately halt all illegal immigration into the U.S., a move that would have enormous economic consequences on both sides of the border.
While Trump on Tuesday did not back off the idea completely, he said he was pleased with steps Mexico had taken in recent days and renewed his calls for Congress to make changes he contends would solve the problem.
鈥淟et鈥檚 see if they keep it done,鈥� he said of Mexico.
鈥淣ow, if they don鈥檛, or if we don鈥檛 make a deal with Congress, the border鈥檚 going to be closed, 100%.鈥�
He also said that he might only close 鈥渓arge sections of the border鈥� and 鈥渘ot all of it.鈥� He added that his posturing was 鈥渢he only way we鈥檙e getting a response.鈥�
Later Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen held an emergency call with Cabinet members and White House aides, saying, 鈥淲e are going to treat it as if we have been hit by a Category 5 hurricane,鈥� according to a person on the call.
The person was not authorized to discuss the call publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Nielsen was creating an emergency operations center and named U.S. Border Patrol official Manny Padilla as an operational crisis coordinator to manage the response from within the different immigration agencies at the Department of Homeland Security.
Padilla is a 30-year Border Patrol veteran and was recently the head of the Rio Grande Valley Sector in Texas.
His job will be different from that of the immigration or 鈥渂order czar鈥� that Trump is considering, the official said.
Closing the border completely would disrupt manufacturing supply lines and the flow of goods ranging from avocados to cars, making for a 鈥減otentially catastrophic economic impact,鈥� in the words of Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader.
Some inside the administration also worry it would only exacerbate illegal immigration.
Meantime, administration officials grappled with how they might minimize the impact of a shutdown or implement less sweeping actions.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, for example, told CNBC he鈥檚 been looking at potentially keeping truck lanes open. / gsg