The Trump administration intends to help fund its crackdown on illegal immigration by making deep cuts to rail and airport security and all but gutting the Coast Guard. This is revealed in internal budget documents, reviewed by POLITICO. Lawmakers and security experts have called the suggestions illogical, given the new administration’s intent to keep out undocumented immigrants and increase national security.
A 14 percent cut in the $9.1 billion Coast Guard budget is being sought by the Office of Management and Budget, according to draft documents. There are also proposals to massively increase the hiring of immigration officers and border agents by the Department of Homeland Security and to build a wall on the border between the US and Mexico.
These numbers offer the most detailed breakdown so far on how President Donald Trump envisions the restructuring of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to meet his election promise of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants and preventing more from arriving in the US. DHS would receive a boost of six percent to its budget, topping it up to as much as $43.8 billion. But, the administration would cut the Coast Guard’s budget and TSA spending by 11 percent to pay for it.
Critics argue that the massive budget cuts would weaken safeguards against threats arriving by sea or air. FEMA, which oversees the nationwide response to disasters, like hurricanes and floods, is also faced with an 11 percent cut.