últimas notícias

The crime rate then increased by 17 percent from 2006 to 2011. Construction of the wall began in 2008, under President George W. Bush, and was completed in mid-2009, during the Obama administration. Crime has ebbed and flowed within a fairly narrow band since then.

Local officials, including Mayor Dee Margo, a Republican, have spoken out against Mr. Trump’s claims. Representative Veronica Escobar, a Democrat who recently won Mr. O’Rourke’s former seat, has demanded that the president apologize and meet with migrant families seeking asylum in the United States.

Among lawmakers who represent border districts, there is remarkably little support for a wall, and Democrats in Washington have stuck to their refusal to give Mr. Trump the $5.7 billion he is requesting for it. The latest numbers floated by Democrats in their negotiations with their Republican counterparts are between $1.3 billion and $2 billion.

Yet Mr. Trump has been undeterred. During his State of the Union address, he repeated grisly stories of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants — never mind that the crime rate among immigrants is no higher than among native-born residents. He said a wall would stem the flow of deadly opioids and other illicit drugs into the United States — another dubious assertion, given that most drugs arrive at legal ports of entry.

Mr. Trump’s aides are trying to build a momentum after what they believe was a speech well received by his political base. Unlike some of his predecessors, the president did not immediately leave on a road trip to sell the messages in the address. But he has been eager to return to rallies, which energize him and filled up his calendar before the midterm elections.