Mike Rogers

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, is sponsoring a bill that would help fund the wall along the Mexican border. (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com)

An Alabama congressman has introduced a bill that would tax illegal immigrants, providing funds to help build the wall along the Mexican border.

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, unveiled his bill Thursday, calling it the Border Wall Funding Act of 2017.

In announcing the bill, Rogers said illegal immigrants would be targeted by imposing a 2 percent fee on all wire transfers to move money from the U.S. to the home country of the illegal immigrants.

Rogers said that in 2014, $24 billion was wired to Mexico while other countries in Central America and South America received more than 15 percent of their gross domestic products from those transfers.

#BREAKING: I've just introduced a bill to tax illegal immigrants, which would help fund the border wall. Read more: https://t.co/LYz5HQyLsm — Mike Rogers (@RepMikeRogersAL) March 30, 2017

"President Trump has made it very clear that he intends to complete a wall along our Southern border," Rogers said in a statement. "As a senior member of the Homeland Security committee, I have long supported the border wall, which will protect Americans.

"In order to jumpstart the funding of the wall, I have introduced a bill to impose a 2 percent fee on remittances sent south of the border. This bill is simple - anyone who sends their money to countries that benefit from our porous borders and illegal immigration should be responsible for providing some of the funds needed to complete the wall. This bill keeps money in the American economy, and most importantly, it creates a funding stream to build the wall."

Building a wall along the Mexican border was a hallmark of Trump's campaign for the presidency. At rallies, he would often talk about the wall and ask supporters who would pay for it - getting a rousing "Mexico" in response.

Rogers' Alabama colleague, Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, immediately voiced his support for the bill and said he would be a co-sponsor.

Brooks said he fully supported Trump's plan to build the wall and have Mexico pay for it and he thanked Rogers for sponsoring the bill.