PHOENIX // Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump on Wednesday insisted that Mexico will pay for the border wall he plans to build if he is elected, in a speech delivered after talks with Mexico’s president.
“Mexico will pay for the wall, believe me,” Mr Trump said in Phoenix. “They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to pay for the wall.”
The billionaire candidate also laid out his immigration plan that includes deporting immigrants with criminal records and cancelling President Barack Obama’s executive orders protecting millions of undocumented immigrants.
Hours earlier, Mr Trump met with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and said the two did not discuss who would pay for the wall. But Pena Nieto contradicted Mr Trump by tweeting that he told the Republican nominee in their meeting that Mexico would not fund the construction.
“At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall,” Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter after Mr Trump departed Mexico City for Phoenix.
In his speech, Mr Trump laid out a grim, sweeping nationalist plan to dramatically slash illegal immigration, a main plank of his presidential campaign.
“It’s our right as a sovereign nation to choose immigrants that we think are most likely to thrive and flourish and love us,” he said.
“Our enforcement priorities will include removing criminals, gang members, security threats, visa overstays, public charges - that is those relying on public welfare or straining the safety net along with millions of recent illegal arrivals and overstays who have come here under this current corrupt administration.”
Mr Trump demanded an end to what he called “catch-and-release” programs along the country’s southern border, enforcement of existing immigration law, and “zero tolerance for criminal aliens”.
“We will be fair, just and compassionate to all,” he stressed. “But our greatest compassion must be for our American citizens.”
* Agence France-Presse
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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