The wall is happening!

Donald Trump says construction of Mexico wall will begin immediately

 The President says planning for the border wall is well under way, as he signs an executive order enabling construction.

Donald Trump has signed an executive order to build a wall along the border with Mexico - and said construction will begin "immediately".

The President said in an interview with ABC News that planning for it was well under way, and repeated his pledge that Mexico will pay for it.
Mr Trump told the television network that while US taxpayers would initially fund the wall, Mexico would ultimately foot the bill, with reimbursement negotiations starting "relatively soon".
"We'll be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we make from Mexico," he said.
"I'm just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form. What I'm doing is good for the United States. It's also going to be good for Mexico. We want to have a very stable, very solid Mexico."
Speaking at the Department of Homeland Security, Mr Trump said: "Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders.
"We are going to save lives on both sides of the border."

Pres. Trump: Construction of border wall to begin "in months"; Mexico will “absolutely” reimburse the U.S. for wall. https://t.co/H0uApVrTYu pic.twitter.com/MEXAxLfO4f

— ABC News (@ABC) January 25, 2017

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the measure, which will form part of a wider immigration crackdown under Mr Trump's administration, was a "common sense first step" and added: "One way or another, Mexico will pay for it."
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who insists his country will do no such thing, is set to meet Mr Trump in the White House next week.
Mr Trump would need to get approval from Congress for any new funding for the wall - with costs estimated at £5.2m ($6.5m) per mile for a single-layer fence by the Government Accountability Office.
The total cost, nature and extent of the wall remain unclear. The President last year put the cost at "probably $8bn (£6.3bn)", although other estimates are higher.
Mr Trump has repeatedly said the border structure will be a wall, but Mr Spicer referred to it on Wednesday as a "large physical barrier".
As well as taking the first steps towards building what could eventually become a 2,000-mile barrier stretching across the southern US, Mr Trump signed another order to strip federal grant money from so-called "sanctuary cities", where local officials refuse to hand over illegal immigrants for deportation.
Mr Trump signed the two orders during a ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security, after honouring the department's newly confirmed secretary, retired General John Kelly.
According to the New York Times, Mr Trump's administration is preparing further executive orders that would clear the way for the US to drastically reduce its role in the United Nations and review multilateral treaties.
Mr Spicer said the President's directives on immigration would also end the practice dubbed "catch and release" by critics, in which authorities apprehend illegal immigrants on US territory but do not immediately detain or support them.
The number of border patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will also be increased.
Later this week, Mr Trump is expected to sign orders restricting access to the US for refugees and some visa holders from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The limits on refugees could include a ban lasting months on admissions from all countries until the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security can increase the intensity of the vetting process.
The plans have provoked outcry from campaigners, who accused the President of jeopardising the rights and freedoms of millions of people.