Now Donald Trump is all systems go on his border wall, here's one step he can skip: the design stage is already in the bag, thanks to Mexican architecture practice Estudio 3.14.

In conjunction with the University of Connecticut, the firm has helpfully created a design for a giant wall between the US and Mexico, which shows it slicing through various landscapes, including mountainous terrain, a desert, a border crossing over a river, and urban Tijuana. And, as seen below, a heaving mass of human suffering.

The studio said that, because the wall "has to be beautiful", it has been rendered in shocking pink, "inspired by Luis Barragan's pink walls that are emblematic of Mexico".

The design helpfully includes not only a branch of Macy's, but also a prison, "where 11m undocumented people will be processed, classified, indoctrinated and/or deported". Cheery.

"Our interest is threefold," the studio said.

"First, in the immediate term, we believe that this project will allow the general public to literally imagine the gorgeous monstrosity proposed my Trump.

"Second, it takes the opportunity of having an architectural object at the core of a national debate, allowing us to test the potential—or limit—of architectural images in mass and social media.

"Third, it addresses the operation through which language, as the instrument of thought, delineates referents in space and time.

Trump's wall has been the source of escalating tensions between the US and Mexico in recent days. Yesterday Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled a meeting at the White House after Trump insisted it will be paid for with a 20 per cent tax on Mexican imports.

Earlier in the day, Trump had warned that "if Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly-needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting".

Today Trump and Theresa May will hold a joint press conference, after meetings which will take place today.

Read more: Is Theresa May right to be cosying up to Donald Trump?</s>President Trump spoke by phone to President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico for an hour on Friday, according to statements by both leaders.

Peña Nieto was scheduled to visit the White House on Jan. 31. But on Wednesday Trump signed an order to move forward with a wall along the Mexican border and insisted that Mexico would eventually pay the bill.

On Thursday, Peña Nieto canceled his planned visit to the U.S. without giving a reason.

According to a statement released by Peña Nieto's office after Friday's call, the two leaders did discuss security along the border between their two countries.

"With regard to the payment of the border wall, both Presidents acknowledged their clear and very public differences in position on this sensitive issue and agreed to resolve these differences as part of a comprehensive discussion of all aspects of the bilateral relationship," an unofficial translation of the statement read.

"The Presidents also agreed at this point not to speak publicly about this controversial issue."

The White House released a statement saying, "With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out."

Asked about the call at a news conference on Friday, Trump said the call had been "very good" and that "we are going to renegotiate our trade deals and we are going to renegotiate other aspects of our relationship with Mexico and in the end I think it will be good for both countries."

Trump also noted the trade deficit with Mexico, saying:



On Thursday, a White House spokesman said one potential way to pay for the wall could be to apply a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico, as well as other countries with which the U.S. has a trade deficit.

"That would effectively saddle U.S. consumers with a significant portion of the wall's cost, estimated at $15 billion or more," NPR's Scott Horsley reported.</s>Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has scrapped an upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump in the wake of fiery back-and-forth over which nation will pay for a border wall between the two nations.

"This morning we informed the White House that I will not attend the business meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the @POTUS," Nieto tweeted.

Trump tweeted earlier Thursday that if Mexico refuses to pay for the wall it might be best to scrap their upcoming meeting.

Watch: Nieto tells Trump 'we do not believe in walls'

"The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers...," Trump tweeted. "If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting."

The deep divide over which country will fund Trump's promised wall along the U.S.-Mexican border — along with the White House's pledge to withhold federal funding from so-called "sanctuary cities" — raises the stakes in the talks.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox in a video posted on Twitter implored Trump to rethink his position.

"Paisanos, @realDonaldTrump's reaction is one of fear," Fox wrote. "He's seen that México stands together and it's strong. Don't mess with us!"

A day earlier Trump, as he was unveiling his executive orders for ramped up immigration arrests and deportation and the border wall, threw in some praise for Mexico and Mexicans and declaring that the crisis on the border was due to a surge in Central Americans. During the presidential campaign, Trump's inflammatory rhetoric included calling Mexican immigrants "rapists" and accusing them of "bringing crime."

But Trump has also been threatening to reopen NAFTA, the trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and the U.S., to get a "better deal." He made that along with other trade deals the culprit for manufacturing job losses and other economic ills in the U.S.

Nieto had expressed interest in exploring the renegotiation of the 1994 agreement that predates advances in social media, telecommunications and other industries, to modernize it.

But facing some pressure at home and clearly disliking the orders from Trump, Nieto said in Spanish in a video posted on social media that Trump's wall was dividing the two nations.

He didn't explicitly say he was rethinking his visit to the U.S. next week, but said he would be speaking with elected officials and Mexico Cabinet members about the meeting.

Jon Farela, CEO of the Borderplex Alliance, a businees border development group, spent this week, speaking and visiting with members of Congress to provide evidence of how NAFTA has benefited both counties and areas for improvement.

"The quickest and surest way to destabilize the border is to remove jobs and hope because people will always find ways to provide for their families," said Farela, a conservative Republican and former New Mexico secretary of economic development who narrowly lost a congressional race in Albuquerque.</s>Nov 9 Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Wednesday that he spoke to U.S. President-Elect Trump to congratulate him on his election win and the two agreed to meet before he takes office.

Pena Nieto also said he had discussed a new work agenda with Trump that would include security issues, and that he would seek to protect the rights of Mexicans throughout the world.

Pena Nieto was lambasted in the local press for hosting a pre-election meeting with Trump, who has made disparaging remarks about Mexicans. (Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Simon Gardner)</s>(CNN) -- Mexico's top diplomat has said the suggestion that his government would pay for President Donald Trump's planned border wall was "totally unacceptable," leading to the cancellation of the two countries' leaders' first meeting.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told journalists Thursday that Mexico respected the US' prerogative to protect its borders but that Mexico "simply cannot accept the concept of a neighbor paying for your wall."

Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto canceled a meeting with Trump that had been set for next week after renewed tensions erupted over Trump's plan to build a wall on the border.

"This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the POTUS," Peña Nieto tweeted Thursday.

Trump said that the two leaders had "agreed" to cancel the meeting at a meeting of Republican strategists in Philadelphia.

"Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go a different route," he said in prepared remarks. "We have no choice."

Earlier Thursday morning, Trump had tweeted that it would be better to skip the meeting if his Mexican counterpart continued to insist Mexico would not pay for the wall.

Videgaray insisted that his ministry would take a cooperative stance toward Mexico's northern neighbor and largest trading partner -- the World Bank reports over 80 percent of its exports flow north -- but that the disagreement over funding for the wall was about Mexico's "dignity and our pride."

Videgaray said he was in a meeting with White House staff setting out protocols and logistics for Peña Nieto's visit when he heard about Trump's tweet.

"We then asked for a break in the meeting and I quickly called (Peña Nieto). He had already seen it, through social media, and the President gave me instructions to communicate in a cordial and respectful manner to the White House that due to this statement it was inviable to have the meeting."

He said that his government's stance over the wall was "not a negotiating strategy."

"This goes way beyond any trade issue, investment, or other things that we are more than willing to negotiate and talk about and make better."

He said that the Mexican government was confident that it could "get to great deals with President Trump."

Videgaray, known to have a good relationship with Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, met with Mexican senators Tuesday ahead of his first face-to-face diplomatic meeting with the Trump administration in Washington.

He added that Mexico will not react on Trump's 20% tax proposal until "we see action."

"Let's not put too much energy or attention into something that will be speculation. I can tell you that if you tax exports from Mexico into the US, you're going to make things ranging from avocados, to appliances to flat screen TVs more expensive and that is going to be paid by the American consumer."

"Let's not devote too much time onto something that is speculation."</s>Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto says he will not attend a planned Jan. 31 meeting with President Donald J. Trump, hours after Trump tweeted the meeting should be canceled if Mexico won't pay for a border wall.Pena Nieto's message on Twitter ended days of uncertainty about what he would do.</s>President Donald Trump shared a phone call with Mexico's leader Friday morning, multiple administration sources confirm to NBC News — signaling that the lines of communication remain open a day after a face-to-face meeting was scrapped amid a verbal row over a border wall.

It wasn't immediately clear what the pair talked about — or how cordially they greeted one another — but the call follows growing tensions between the North American neighbors. Trump, since taking office a week ago, has ratcheted up calls to build a wall along the nations' shared southern border — and force Mexico to foot the bill.

A scheduled meeting between Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto was nixed on Thursday — and shortly after, the possibility of a 20 percent tax on Mexican products imported into America was floated by the White House.

Peña Nieto, who has been an otherwise unpopular figure in Mexico, had used Twitter to say he was bowing out of next Tuesday's meeting with Trump.

Trump, in turn, blamed Mexico for the problems along the border while speaking at a GOP retreat in Philadelphia.

"Most illegal immigration is coming from our southern border," Trump said. "I've said many times that the American people will not pay for the wall, and I've made that clear to the government of Mexico."

Peña Nieto has said Mexico would not fork over any money for a wall, which could cost from $4 billion to $12 billion, according to some estimates.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.</s>From the start of his campaign, after he descended the golden escalator to give his announcement speech, Donald Trump promised to build a wall along the U.S.'s southern border. Now, Trump is taking the first steps toward keeping that promise, with an executive action that calls for building that wall.

In line with his campaign theme of tightening laws on immigration, that action will call for other measures, such as hiring more border patrol agents and expanding detention space.

Here's a quick primer on Trump's wall — how long it would have to be, how much it will cost and what Americans think about it.

The situation right now

Trump is no stranger to flip-flopping, and he has voiced different opinions on how he wants the border barrier to look. When CBS's Lesley Stahl asked him if he would "accept a fence," he answered, "For certain areas I would, but certain areas, a wall is more appropriate."

Then at his Jan. 11 press conference, he took a harder line: "On the fence, it's not a fence; it's the wall," he told reporters. "You just misreported it. We're going to build a wall."

Remember, for the record, he said — "For certain areas I would."

Should he decide to accept some fencing, he has existing fencing to add onto: As of late 2015, there were 652.7 miles of border fence along the roughly 2,000-mile-long border.

Along with that head start on the barrier, he also appears to have a head start on the legislative side. When Republican Rep. Luke Messer recently claimed that the fence is authorized, and that it only needs to be funded, PolitiFact ruled it "True." A November 2016 report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service bolsters that finding:

"DHS's current policy not to deploy a substantial amount of additional fencing, beyond what is expressly required by law, appears primarily premised on policy considerations and funding constraints, rather than significant legal impediments," writes the author (whose name was redacted from the report).

Still, there are other logistical hurdles. For example, there's the pesky issue of private land ownership. When the U.S. government was building the fence from 2008 to 2010, the Border Patrol "had to enter into negotiations or begin condemnation proceedings with landowners," as NPR's John Burnett reported in mid-2014. And even then, years after the construction, some lawsuits were still ongoing.

Another potential legal barrier exists in a 47-year-old treaty, as the AP reported on Wednesday:



The cost: high. An actual wall could cost $15 billion to $40 billion

Trump will need to find funding, and he very well may need a lot of it. While Trump at one point estimated the cost of his wall (or wall-fence combination) to be $8 billion — which he later revised to $10 to $12 billion — it could easily be much higher.

Were he to, in fact, try a wall, the cost could be much higher. One estimate from MIT found that a 1,000-mile wall would cost anywhere between $27 billion and $40 billion. Another estimate from research and investment firm Bernstein put it at $15 to $25 billion.

Of course, a fence could be far cheaper than a wall. The nearly 653 miles of wall built thus far cost around $2.3 billion, the DHS said in 2015 congressional testimony. That comes out to around $3.5 million per mile.

Multiply that out across 1,300 more miles, and it comes to around $4.6 billion. But there's a big caveat here: That could easily be a very conservative estimate. Estimating how much a border fence costs isn't simply a matter of miles times dollars, because some miles of border fence cost far more than others.

A 2009 analysis from the Government Accountability Office found that as of late 2008, pedestrian fencing had cost the government an average $3.9 million per mile — but that costs ranged from $400,000 to $15.1 million per mile. Likewise, vehicle fencing averaged $1 million per mile, but ranged from $200,000 to $1.8 million per mile.

And costs vary depending on who's doing the estimation. One 2009 analysis from the Department of Homeland Security estimated that, as of late 2008, it would cost $6.5 million per mile for pedestrian fencing — that is, fencing primarily meant to block people attempting to cross the border on foot. Vehicle fencing came out to $1.7 million per mile.

Prices can vary for a number of reasons; for example, the fence is far taller in some places than others, and different materials are used in different spots. Geography also plays a part in determining cost. Along some stretches of the border, like rough mountain ranges, costs could exceed $10 million per mile, as Burnett has reported.

The cost also depends upon who's doing the building. Commercial builders are more expensive than if the U.S. depends upon the military to build the fence.

And then other costs could easily arise — for example, the cost of legal proceedings from all those dealings with landowners mentioned above.

Cost considerations are less of a worry if Mexico will pay for the wall, as Trump has claimed it would. But he likely won't be able to make that happen without a massive fight, as Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto seemed to indicate earlier this month.

"It is evident that we have differences with the new United States government on some issues, such as a wall that Mexico absolutely will not pay for," Peña Nieto said, as quoted by the Guardian. "At no time will we accept anything that goes against our dignity as a country and our dignity as Mexicans.

Most Americans are opposed to the wall

Many Trump supporters were fervent supporters of a border wall (as evidenced by the loud chants of "Build The Wall" at his campaign events). However, polls suggest that Americans as a whole aren't thrilled about a border wall. A recent ABC News poll found that only 37 percent of Americans are in favor of building the wall.

It's not that Americans aren't concerned about immigration, of course; 72 percent of Americans want to "deport undocumented criminals," according to the ABC News poll. Likewise, a Pew Research Center poll from late November and early December found that large majorities of Americans support a variety of immigration policies: 77 percent said it's "somewhat" or "very important" to have stricter enforcement of visa overstays, and 73 percent said the same of preventing unqualified immigrants from receiving government benefits, for example.

Meanwhile, only 39 percent said the same of building a border wall. Indeed, majorities supported other policies that run counter to the Trump immigration agenda, including allowing people who entered the country as children to stay, as well as supporting a path to legal status.</s>From the start of his campaign, after he descended the golden escalator to give his announcement speech, Donald Trump promised to build a wall along the U.S.'s southern border. Now, Trump is taking the first steps toward keeping that promise, with an executive action that calls for building that wall.

In line with his campaign theme of tightening laws on immigration, that action will call for other measures, such as hiring more border patrol agents and expanding detention space.

Here's a quick primer on Trump's wall — how long it would have to be, how much it will cost and what Americans think about it.

The situation right now

Trump is no stranger to flip-flopping, and he has voiced different opinions on how he wants the border barrier to look. When CBS's Lesley Stahl asked him if he would "accept a fence," he answered, "For certain areas I would, but certain areas, a wall is more appropriate."

Then at his Jan. 11 press conference, he took a harder line: "On the fence, it's not a fence; it's the wall," he told reporters. "You just misreported it. We're going to build a wall."

Remember, for the record, he said — "For certain areas I would."

Should he decide to accept some fencing, he has existing fencing to add onto: As of late 2015, there were 652.7 miles of border fence along the roughly 2,000-mile-long border.

Along with that head start on the barrier, he also appears to have a head start on the legislative side. When Republican Rep. Luke Messer recently claimed that the fence is authorized, and that it only needs to be funded, PolitiFact ruled it "True." A November 2016 report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service bolsters that finding:

"DHS's current policy not to deploy a substantial amount of additional fencing, beyond what is expressly required by law, appears primarily premised on policy considerations and funding constraints, rather than significant legal impediments," writes the author (whose name was redacted from the report).

Still, there are other logistical hurdles. For example, there's the pesky issue of private land ownership. When the U.S. government was building the fence from 2008 to 2010, the Border Patrol "had to enter into negotiations or begin condemnation proceedings with landowners," as NPR's John Burnett reported in mid-2014. And even then, years after the construction, some lawsuits were still ongoing.

Another potential legal barrier exists in a 47-year-old treaty, as the AP reported on Wednesday:



The cost: high. An actual wall could cost $15 billion to $40 billion

Trump will need to find funding, and he very well may need a lot of it. While Trump at one point estimated the cost of his wall (or wall-fence combination) to be $8 billion — which he later revised to $10 to $12 billion — it could easily be much higher.

Were he to, in fact, try a wall, the cost could be much higher. One estimate from MIT found that a 1,000-mile wall would cost anywhere between $27 billion and $40 billion. Another estimate from research and investment firm Bernstein put it at $15 to $25 billion.

Of course, a fence could be far cheaper than a wall. The nearly 653 miles of wall built thus far cost around $2.3 billion, the DHS said in 2015 congressional testimony. That comes out to around $3.5 million per mile.

Multiply that out across 1,300 more miles, and it comes to around $4.6 billion. But there's a big caveat here: That could easily be a very conservative estimate. Estimating how much a border fence costs isn't simply a matter of miles times dollars, because some miles of border fence cost far more than others.

A 2009 analysis from the Government Accountability Office found that as of late 2008, pedestrian fencing had cost the government an average $3.9 million per mile — but that costs ranged from $400,000 to $15.1 million per mile. Likewise, vehicle fencing averaged $1 million per mile, but ranged from $200,000 to $1.8 million per mile.

And costs vary depending on who's doing the estimation. One 2009 analysis from the Department of Homeland Security estimated that, as of late 2008, it would cost $6.5 million per mile for pedestrian fencing — that is, fencing primarily meant to block people attempting to cross the border on foot. Vehicle fencing came out to $1.7 million per mile.

Prices can vary for a number of reasons; for example, the fence is far taller in some places than others, and different materials are used in different spots. Geography also plays a part in determining cost. Along some stretches of the border, like rough mountain ranges, costs could exceed $10 million per mile, as Burnett has reported.

The cost also depends upon who's doing the building. Commercial builders are more expensive than if the U.S. depends upon the military to build the fence.

And then other costs could easily arise — for example, the cost of legal proceedings from all those dealings with landowners mentioned above.

Cost considerations are less of a worry if Mexico will pay for the wall, as Trump has claimed it would. But he likely won't be able to make that happen without a massive fight, as Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto seemed to indicate earlier this month.

"It is evident that we have differences with the new United States government on some issues, such as a wall that Mexico absolutely will not pay for," Peña Nieto said, as quoted by the Guardian. "At no time will we accept anything that goes against our dignity as a country and our dignity as Mexicans.

Most Americans are opposed to the wall

Many Trump supporters were fervent supporters of a border wall (as evidenced by the loud chants of "Build The Wall" at his campaign events). However, polls suggest that Americans as a whole aren't thrilled about a border wall. A recent ABC News poll found that only 37 percent of Americans are in favor of building the wall.

It's not that Americans aren't concerned about immigration, of course; 72 percent of Americans want to "deport undocumented criminals," according to the ABC News poll. Likewise, a Pew Research Center poll from late November and early December found that large majorities of Americans support a variety of immigration policies: 77 percent said it's "somewhat" or "very important" to have stricter enforcement of visa overstays, and 73 percent said the same of preventing unqualified immigrants from receiving government benefits, for example.

Meanwhile, only 39 percent said the same of building a border wall. Indeed, majorities supported other policies that run counter to the Trump immigration agenda, including allowing people who entered the country as children to stay, as well as supporting a path to legal status.</s>President Trump spoke by phone to President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico for an hour on Friday, according to statements by both leaders.

Peña Nieto was scheduled to visit the White House on Jan. 31. But on Wednesday Trump signed an order to move forward with a wall along the Mexican border and insisted that Mexico would eventually pay the bill.

On Thursday, Peña Nieto canceled his planned visit to the U.S. without giving a reason.

According to a statement released by Peña Nieto's office after Friday's call, the two leaders did discuss security along the border between their two countries.

"With regard to the payment of the border wall, both Presidents acknowledged their clear and very public differences in position on this sensitive issue and agreed to resolve these differences as part of a comprehensive discussion of all aspects of the bilateral relationship," an unofficial translation of the statement read.

"The Presidents also agreed at this point not to speak publicly about this controversial issue."

The White House released a statement saying, "With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out."

Asked about the call at a news conference on Friday, Trump said the call had been "very good" and that "we are going to renegotiate our trade deals and we are going to renegotiate other aspects of our relationship with Mexico and in the end I think it will be good for both countries."

Trump also noted the trade deficit with Mexico, saying:



On Thursday, a White House spokesman said one potential way to pay for the wall could be to apply a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico, as well as other countries with which the U.S. has a trade deficit.

"That would effectively saddle U.S. consumers with a significant portion of the wall's cost, estimated at $15 billion or more," NPR's Scott Horsley reported.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto cancels the meeting scheduled for next week with U.S. President Donald Trump, citing his plan to build a border wall between the two countries.