Trump Supporters Weigh in on Potential Mix of a Border Wall and Fence

According to a recent Pew Research Poll, about one third of Americans support a sealed border

From deportations to building an unbreakable border wall, immigration was at the core of President-elect Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Now that the election is over, the question is whether Trump will actually build a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a televised interview aired Sunday evening, Trump said the barrier wouldn’t necessarily be a straight border wall, but rather a combination of a wall and a fence.

But some supporters began to question whether the President-elect is now softening his stance on immigration or perhaps even backpedaling.

“He's definitely not going to be able to do everything he's talked about in his campaign. No politician does," said San Diego resident Meghan McCoy.

Building a wall along the 2,000 mile border would cost an estimated $25 billion.

According to a recent Pew Research Poll, about one third of Americans support a sealed border.

But for some, the hefty price tag is not worth it.

Director of Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego, Ev Meade disagrees with a a border wall.

He told NBC 7 that when it comes to immigration enforcement, the money would be better spent elsewhere. He argues that illegal immigration mostly stems from overstayed visas, not illegal crossings.

“Undocumented immigration is actually at a 40-year low and migration from Mexico is net zero for the last decade,” Meade said. “There's not a lot of people flooding across the border from Mexico. Most of the undocumented people who come to the United States recently, have entered legally and then overstayed their visas.”

Even some of Trump’s supporters acknowledged that building a border wall between Mexico won’t be easy. But they said they were happy the controversial issue of immigration was addressed directly, without politically correct slogans.

“If people want to come here lawfully, great,” says San Diego resident Kim Cheatum. “If they don't, then they should do whatever they have to do to comply with the law.”

“I sure as hell hope he does what he says. I just want the border to be secure," said Sally Buer.

President-elect Trump will also have to look the Boundary Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico. If he were to build the wall under his current proposal, that agreement would have to be re-negotiated.

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