NORFOLK, Va. — On Friday, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to get more federal funding for his long-promised southern border wall.
"We're talking about an invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, with all types of criminals and gangs," the President said during a news conference Friday.
He claimed the wall will help cut down on all of that.
"The wall will not be effective. Walls are never effective," said former Naval Station Norfolk Commander, Captain Joseph Bouchard.
Bouchard also served three years on the National Security Council staff.
Customs and Border Patrol data shows illegal border crossings are at historic lows and Bouchard said most of the illegal drugs coming into the country come in through legal ports.
"Narcotics traffickers try to bring in narcotics by air, small boats, even by submarine," he said.
Customs and Border Patrol data also backs that, showing 90 percent of illegal drugs enter through legal ports.
This move by the president means he'll have close to $8 billion for the wall, most of that would come from funds for counterdrug efforts and military construction.
Bouchard said the military losing that funding will have impacts on military bases locally and nationally.
"Hangars, and runways, and barracks, and maintenance on piers, all of those things that are critical for day to day operations and fleets aren't going to get done. They're going to be delayed," he said.
Bouchard said not only will Naval Station Norfolk feel the sting. Losing the funding could impact the combat readiness of the SEALs and the jet fighters at Oceana and Little Creek, which Bouchard said will actually be very dangerous for the country's national security.