Experts say, is that if construction forges ahead as expected, it will create thousands of jobs for American workers.

Michael Montgomery, a consultant who helps developers estimate their projects' economic impact, says a building project on the scale of Trump’s speculative wall should create between 21,200 and 25,600 jobs for "at least the period of construction,” basing his estimate on the $12 billion to $15 billion budget mentioned by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

There are other potential ways Trump's anti-immigration efforts could generate more jobs; Trump has announced plans to boost the border patrol, for instance.