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The White House • March 13, 2019 Video of the day January 16, 2019: 247 illegal migrants rush the U.S. border in New Mexico. Night vision footage captures the scene—one that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers must confront week after week in areas where border barriers are insufficient or run-down. Congressional Democrats and too many of their allies in the media would rather you not see videos like these. That’s because it’s much tougher to keep pretending that there’s no crisis on our southern border if Americans actually know what is happening there.  This is what a national emergency looks like One month ago this Friday, President Donald J. Trump signed a national emergency declaration to address the humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border. In the weeks since, the absolute worst of Washington’s irresponsibility has been on full display. There has been virtually no debate about policy or solutions. There has been no discussion of how our broken immigration system fails citizens and newcomers alike. There has been no acknowledgement of Congress’ years of failure to act—or the undue burden that failure has placed on law enforcement every single day. In other words, once again, there has been no accountability. The price we pay is steep. Human smugglers exploit our broken border and profit off the migrants they trick into making the treacherous journey north. About 300 Americans die each week from heroin—90 percent of which flows across our southern border. And 266,000 criminals arrested over a two-year period by immigration officials were responsible for 100,000 assaults, nearly 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 murders. While the statistics are sobering, the images are worth a thousand words: This is what a lethal dose of fentanyl looks like—and how easy it is to smuggle in.   During the recent deployment of the National Guard to support border security, troops assisted with the arrest of 23,034 illegal immigrants and the seizure of more than 35,000 pounds of drugs.   The heartbreaking truth is that 1 in 3 migrant women is sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek to the southern border.   That America’s immigration security could look like this in 2019 should be a source of national embarrassment for Congressional Democrats with no solution.   “Trampling over our fences, the drug dealers tearing down our gates—that is immoral. And we’re tired of it. We need that wall.” Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate will vote on whether to stop or uphold President Trump’s national emergency declaration. In doing so, they will decide whether to acknowledge a crisis that went unanswered by America’s political leaders for far too long. Americans will remember if the only real action Congress takes is attempting to stop the President from enforcing its own duly passed laws. Photo of the Day Photo courtesy of CBP A lethal dose of fentanyl compared to the size of a penny The White House • March 14, 2019 President Trump’s response to the Senate national emergency vote Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signed a resolution to disapprove of President Donald J. Trump’s national emergency for the crisis on our southern border. The President had a one-word response for the Democrat-led bill: “VETO!” The stakes couldn’t be clearer, as Vice President Mike Pence laid out in an interview with Fox News. “A vote against the President's national emergency declaration is a vote to deny the humanitarian and security crisis that's happening at our southern border.” This morning, three state Attorneys General explained the Constitutional authority President Trump used in declaring the national emergency. “Unlike President Barack Obama, who unlawfully used executive power to create new laws or rewrite laws Congress enacted, President Trump is lawfully using executive power to address a crisis worsened by congressional inaction,” Ken Paxton (R-TX), Curtis Hill (R-IN), and Jeff Landry (R-LA) write. “The facts matter — these facts show the president has acted lawfully and within the scope of discretion Congress and the people vested in him. Congress should support President Trump.” Share President Trump’s response to Congressional Democrats.  Watch: Even The Washington Post knows there is a crisis on the border A St. Patrick’s Day tradition at the White House A longstanding tradition lives on today as President Trump welcomes the Taoiseach of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, to the White House. Since 1952, Ireland has presented the President of the United States with a box of shamrocks to kick off the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.   “It’s a great honor to have the Prime Minister of Ireland. We’ve become fast friends,” President Trump said today from the Oval Office. “Very, very special country.” Earlier this evening, President Trump joined Prime Minister Varadkar for the traditional shamrock bowl presentation. And at a “Friends of Ireland” luncheon this afternoon, the President gave tribute to the holiday’s namesake. “May we draw new strength from the noble example of Saint Patrick. And may we all be blessed by the luck of the Irish.” Watch tonight’s shamrock bowl presentation. A look back: St. Patrick’s Day and Irish heritage in American history Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks The South Lawn fountain is dyed green in celebration of Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's visit to the White House | March 14, 2019 State Attorneys General: Donald Trump's National Emergency Declaration is Constitutional “President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration is a proper use of executive power to protect our country’s borders and keep Americans safe,” state Attorneys General Ken Paxton (R-TX), Curtis Hill (R-IN), and Jeff Landry (R-LA) write in USA Today. “Unfortunately, the crisis at the southern border is one that only the federal government may truly solve. With no solutions coming from Congress, the president is faithfully executing the duties of his office by invoking a law Congress already passed: the National Emergencies Act.” Click here to read more. Police in the San Francisco Bay Area arrested a criminal illegal immigrant for the brutal slaying of a 59-year-old woman, NBC Bay Area reports. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said agents tried to deport the suspect “nine times before, but their detainer requests were not honored in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties, both so-called ‘sanctuary cities.’” “United States Customs and Border Protection said a human smuggler dropped two children over the U.S.-Mexico border wall and created a diversion that allowed 10 others to cross illegally,” Rafael Avitabile reports for NBC San Diego. “The agency said a human smuggler dropped two El Salvadorian girls, ages 6 and 9, near a bank of concertina wire in U.S. territory Monday night. According to the CBP, as agents vacated their patrol posts to respond, 10 people crossed the border illegally at another location and eluded agents.” “The U.S. trade deficit for goods hit a record high in 2018, but critics wrongly blame this on a failure of President Donald Trump’s trade policies,” White House Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro writes in USA Today. “Gross domestic product growth of 3 percent in 2018, coupled with a rapid rise in real wages and the lowest unemployment in 50 years, boosted import demand even as slower growth in markets like Europe suppressed U.S. exports. The robust Trump economy is one of the deficit’s biggest drivers.”