Border Closure? Nixon Did it First.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/03/31/trumps-threat-close-us-mexico-border-sounds-like-this-nixon-operation/?utm_term=.6a1508bfebc3

This Washington Post article provides an interesting comparison of President Trump’s threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border and Nixon’s 1969 Operation Intercept. Operation Intercept was a plan created in the fall of 1969, which intended to stop the influx of drugs - like marijuana and heroin - into the United States. However, the near shutdown of the border was really a publicity stunt, intending to prove that the new Nixon administration was serious about the war on crime and the anti-drug campaign. Although Nixon demonstrated how detrimental a border closure can be financially, President Trump has not withdrawn his threat. The decision would be act as a stunt to demonstrate that the president, in his own words, is “not playing games” when it comes to illegal immigration. According to his top aides, Trump is not bluffing this time. It will be fascinating to see if the president goes through with this dramatic order, and how the 2019 economic consequences will compare to 1969’s.