Trump Says Construction of Wall on US Border With Mexico Already Started

US President Donald Trump said at a meeting with his supporters in the city of Tampa, Florida that the construction of large portions of the wall on the border with Mexico had already started.

"We are going to have tremendous border security that will include the wall. A lot of people do not know that we have already started the wall. We have $1.6 billion and we have started large portions of the wall," Trump said on Tuesday as broadcast by the Fox News.

On Sunday, Trump threatened to "shut down" the federal government if Democrats in Congress refuse to support his administration's demands on border security and the wall on the border with Mexico.

The US leader urged to "get rid of lottery" and switch to a "system of immigration based on merit."The issue of irregular migration has long been a stumbling block in Mexico's relations with the United States, with Trump having repeatedly pledged to build a wall on the southern border in order to stop illegal migration, as well as human and narcotics trafficking.

Building the wall was one of Trump's key pre-election promises.