Los Angeles | A Trump administration shutdown of the US-Mexico border would quickly spread across the economy, forcing up fruit and vegetable prices, spawning food shortages, shutting production lines and throwing Americans out of work, at least temporarily.

"With thousands of trucks and trains and cars crossing the border each day, you'd have huge backlogs, rotting produce and ripple effects across the supply chain," says Dan Griswold, senior research fellow and trade expert at George Mason University. "The effect would be immediate and devastating for industry."

MCT