(Sacramento – January 9, 2019) - Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer, Sr. issued the following statement on yesterday’s Presidential address in regards to the southern border wall:
“Last night President Trump presented the nation with fearmongering propaganda in support of a multibillion dollar border wall the nation does not need. What is real, however, is the ever-increasing consequences for millions of Americans affected by the government shutdown. A leader, and most certainly the President of the United States, should not use people as leverage for political gain.”
“Further, spending $5.7 billion for an ineffective wall is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Those very same billions of dollars would be much better spent investing in our youth; supporting their education and dismantling the school to prison pipeline. In 2018, I secured $37.3 million dollars out of the California budget to create the Youth Reinvestment Fund which empowers community organizations and government to work together on alternatives to avoid incarceration for young people. With targeted investment and a connection to essential services, we can end the school to prison pipeline. It’s time we all come together as a country and advocate for our future leaders. We must also stop locking up our children domestically and at the border, and start investing in their future.”