Trump would make Mexico pay for wall by blocking money transfers

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump would try to force Mexico to pay for a border wall by targeting billions of dollars in remittances sent by immigrants living in the U.S., according to a memo released by his campaign Tuesday.

In his proposal, Trump threatened to change a rule under the USA Patriot Act, an antiterrorism law, to cut off a portion of the funds sent to Mexico through money transfers known as remittances.

“People expect the president of the United States and the elected officials in this country to treat these problems seriously, to put forward policies that have been examined, analyzed are effective, where unintended consequences are taken into account,” Obama said.

The U.S. is home to about 12 million Mexicans, some living here without legal permission, according to various research organizations that monitor trends in immigration.