President Donald Trump cracked down on illegal immigration on Wednesday, signing off on two executive actions to restore law and order.

One of the orders he signed jumpstarts construction of a wall on the border with Mexico, the White House says, the other defunds sanctuary cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago that harbor illegal immigrants.

'A nation without borders is not a nation,' Trump told Department of Homeland Security employees after signing the orders. 'Beginning today the United States of America...gets back its borders.'

To help with the 'crisis' at the southern border, Trump gave DHS the authority to hire another 5,000 border patrol officers and triple its roster of immigration enforcement agents.

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President Donald Trump is cracking down on illegal immigration, issuing two executive actions this afternoon that aim to restore law and order

TRUMP'S TWO EXECUTIVE ORDERS Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Wednesday. Both are part of his battle against illegal immigration. With one of the decisions, the president ordered work to begin on planning and building a wall on the Mexican border. The US leader instructed officials to begin to 'plan, design and construct a physical wall along the southern border' and see how it could be funded. 'A nation without borders is not a nation,' Trump said, echoing former president Ronald Reagan. In the order, Trump envisions the 'immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border, monitored and supported by adequate personnel so as to prevent illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, and acts of terrorism'. Trump has promised to make Mexico pay for the wall, something the Mexican government has repeatedly said it will not do. The US president failed to clearly explain Wednesday how he intends to get Mexico to pay for the wall. 'All it is, is we'll be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we make from Mexico,' he said. Meanwhile Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said: 'Mexico does not believe in walls. I've said it time and time again: Mexico will not pay for any wall.' The other executive order signed by the president Wednesday aims at preventing sanctuary cities across the country from offering protection to undocumented immigrants. The order strips sanctuary cities from federal funding. 'The Attorney General and the Secretary, in their discretion and to the extent consistent with law, shall ensure that jurisdictions that willfully refuse to comply with 8 U.S.C. 1373 (sanctuary jurisdictions) are not eligible to receive Federal grants, except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes by the Attorney General or the Secretary,' the order reads. 'The Secretary has the authority to designate, in his discretion and to the extent consistent with law, a jurisdiction as a sanctuary jurisdiction.' Trump also gave officials authority to hire 10,000 additional immigration officers. Sources: AFP and Associated Press Advertisement

For 'too long' immigration official and border patrol agents 'haven't been allowed to properly do their jobs.

'That's all about to change,' Trump told employees of DHS. 'And I'm very happy about it, and you're happy about it.' Immigration laws will be 'enforced and enforced strongly,' he added.

The president said he was recognizing members of those agencies in his remarks 'not because they unanimously endorsed me for president.

'That helps, but that's not the only reason,' he teased.

Earlier in the week Trump ordered a federal hiring freeze but the White House indicated Wednesday that the DHS agencies singled out by Trump were receiving one of the previously stated exemptions.

Trump signed the executive orders this afternoon at DHS before his address.

He said in the remarks that followed that he expects the United States' relationship with Mexico to improve as a result of his actions because the 'unprecedented surge' of illegal immigrants in the United States is bad for both countries.

'It's going to be very, very good for Mexico,' he said of the orders' effects.

Trump said he's looking forward to meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto next week for the first time as president, and the second time since the start of his campaign, to discuss the measures.

'I want to emphasize that we will be working in particular with our friends in Mexico to improve safety and economic opportunity on both sides of the border,' Trump said Wednesday. 'I have deep admiration for the people of Mexico.'

Dismantling cartels and keeping illegal weapons and cash from flowing north to south is also on the agenda.

'They have to stop it. We have to stop it. We are going to save lives on both sides of the borders,' Trump said.

After Trump's press secretary announced the executive actions from the White House podium former Mexican president Vincente Fox issued a strongly worded declarative.

'Sean Spicer, I've said this to @realDonaldTrump and now I'll tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that f***ing wall. #F***ingWall'

The American taxpayer will be footing the bill for the border wall 'for the sake of speed,' Trump has said, and Mexico will be paying the money back.

'We're going to be starting those negotiations relatively soon. And we will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico,' he told ABC's David Muir in a new interview, saying the wall would cost the U.S. 'nothing.'

Pena Nieto has said that's not going to happen. 'Mexico will never pay for a wall,' he claims he told Trump during their last meeting - even though he did not say it publicly during a joint appearance.

'He has to say that,' Trump said in the ABC interview. 'I'm just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form.

Trump told Muir, 'You have to understand what I'm doing is good for the United States. And it will also be good for Mexico.

At his daily briefing, Trump's spokesman previewed the executive orders Trump would be signing and what they entailed.

The first one called for 'Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements.'

'It addresses long overdue border security issues and is the first order in that to build a large physical barrier on the southern border,' Spicer said. 'Building this barrier is more than just a campaign promise it's a common sense first step to really securing our porous border.

Adding, 'And yes, one way or another, as the president said before, Mexico will pay for it.'

Construction on the wall will begin 'immediately,' the president told ABC Wednesday, 'within months.'

'We are going to get the bad ones out,' Trump told Department of Homeland Security employees after signing the orders, zeroing on criminals and drug dealers. 'The day is over where they can stay in our country and wreak havoc. We are going to get them out and get them out fast'

The order will empower immigration officials to do their jobs, he said, and create more detention spacer at facilities along the border.

'Under the Constitution, the American people get the final say on who can and cannot enter our nation and they've spoken loud and clearly through our laws.'

Trump will also end the previous administration's 'catch and release policy,' Spicer said, 'which has led to the deaths of many Americans.'

The president's directive continues one Obama-era policy. It places a priority on the 'the prosecution and deportation of illegal immigrants who've also otherwise violated our laws,' the White House said.

'And after these criminals spend time in prison for the crimes they've committed they're going to get back one-way tickets to the country of their origin. And their governments are going to take them back,' Spicer declared.

Trump said later at DHS: 'We are going to get the bad ones out.'

Zeroing on criminals and drug dealers, he said, 'The day is over where they can stay in our country and wreak havoc. We are going to get them out and get them out fast.'

The second document deals with sanctuary cities. Trump had said he would with Congress to cut off their access to federal taxpayer dollars until they obey national immigration laws.

'Federal agents are going to unapologetically enforce the law, no ifs ands or butts,' Spicer said today.

The order Trump signed today would affect major U.S. cities including Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Philadelphia.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel came to visit Trump in New York after the election to ask him not to move forward on the campaign promise. Emanuel has said Chicago will remain a sanctuary city regardless of federal action like the one Trump took today

The White House said those cities would still have access to funding for policing.

'There's other aid that can extended as well, either through the U.S. attorneys office or other means that will ensure that the people of Chicago have the resources to feel safe,' Spicer stated.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel came to visit Trump in New York after the election to ask him not to move forward on the campaign promise. Emanuel has said Chicago will remain a sanctuary city regardless of federal action like the one Trump took today.

'We'll hopefully get a dialogue started with Mayor Emanuel and try and figure out what a path forward can be, so we get - so we come up with a plan that can keep the people of Chicago safe and help ease the problem there,' Spicer said of the violence-plauged city.

An area that Trump's executive order didn't cover was illegal immigrants brought to the country as children.

The president told ABC he'd have a policy ready for them in four weeks.

'They shouldn't be very worried. I do have a big heart. We're going to take care of everybody,' he said.

Trump's spokesman also hinted at another executive order dealing with immigration that's coming down the pipeline: 'extreme vetting.'

Spicer suggested Wednesday that the administration has an order in the works to limit immigration from countries afflicted by terrorism.

'You’ll see more action this week on keeping America safe,' he said. 'This has been something he talked about in the inaugural address. He talked about it in the campaign. As we get into the implementation of that executive order, we’ll have further details.'

Trump was at DHS to deliver remarks at attend the ceremonial swearing in of his Homeland Security chief, John Kelly, who took his formal oath of office last Friday.

'He's a rough tough guy but he's also got a good heart,' Trump said and 'will do a very special job.'