California to push for finishing new port of entry as Trump threatens border crackdown: report

NEW YORK, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. California Governor Gavin Newsom urged the Joe Biden administration to help secure more federal resources for a new port of entry in San Diego County before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, reported The Washington Post on Thursday.

"Trump's victory in November was fueled in part by some voters' concerns about migrants at the border and by Trump's promise of mass deportations," said the report. "The California governor is now seeking to reframe the national conversation around the border, emphasizing the importance of U.S. trade with Mexico in fueling the economy, lowering costs for consumers and supporting millions of jobs across the nation."

On Thursday, Newsom is expected to announce the beginning of construction of a road to the new Otay Mesa East Port of Entry, according to aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been officially announced. State officials say the crossing will reduce the wait times for cars and trucks that often idle for hours at the U.S.-Mexico border, slowing commerce and contributing to pollution in those areas.

Trump has blasted Newsom's "insane policy decisions." And the president-elect's advisers are already discussing how to strip federal resources from Democratic-run cities that refuse to participate in deportation operations of undocumented immigrants next year, noted the report.