Trump reportedly wanted to shut down the entire U.S. southern border in March


Mad about the number of undocumented immigrants crossing into the United States, President Trump came up with a plan this spring that he was sure would solve the problem: shut down the entire 2,000-mile southern border.
More than a dozen White House and administration officials told The New York Times all about this wild idea, which came up during a meeting in March with high-ranking officials like then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, and Stephen Miller, his hardliner immigration adviser, were also present.
Not only did Trump want the border shut down, the officials told the Times, but he wanted it done by noon the next day. Thinking about the number of tourists who would get stranded and goods unable to cross over from the U.S. to Mexico, they knew this was a terrible idea, but that was par for the course — the officials told the Times Trump had already talked about electrifying the wall, putting alligators and snakes in a trench in front of the wall, and shooting migrants in the legs to slow them down.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump was filled with rage, the officials said, cursing and saying, "You are making me look like an idiot! I ran on this. It's my issue." After the meeting, Trump agreed to give them a week to close the border down, and finally, after promises were quickly made to do something about the number of border crossings and asylum requests, he decided the border could stay open, the Times reports.
By that point, Miller was in Trump's ear, saying now was the right time to do a purge and get rid of Homeland Security officials who had too much empathy for asylum seekers and told Trump when his ideas broke the law, the officials told the Times. Read more about the overhaul and the attempts to push back against Trump at The New York Times.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Aston Martin Vantage Roadster: 'a rare treat indeed'
The Week Recommends The Roadster version of Aston Martin's new Vantage coupé makes even 'the most mundane journey feel special'
-
Bad Friend: Tiffany Watt Smith explores why women abandon friendships
The Week Recommends A 'deeply researched' account of female friendship through history
-
Brazil's reborn dolls craze
Under The Radar The 'hyper-realistic' babies soaring in popularity in South American nation have spawned controversy
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs