The harsh oversteps and dictatorial attempts by Donald Trump concerning immigration has caught the ire of at at least one Republican senator.
More Americans, like Senator Chuck Grassley, who are concerned about the fate of the nation, the rule of law, and less about their partisan standings are needed to confront the actions of Trump. Whether Trump knows it or not, and this blog maintains he does not, the American system of checks and balances requires that the executive branch respect the prerogatives of Congress. That means from up and down the long list from appropriations to oversight Congress must be given due respect. Trump is also obligated to follow the interpretations by judges concerning the rulings of law and our Constitution. That is what our civics lessons taught us–well at least for those who actually studied and learned. The rule of law matters.
If Trump took a moment to reflect about the rule of law he would be aware that is what he swore to uphold at his inauguration. That is why the headlines over the past days are most troubling. No president can urge, or suggest armed law enforcement officers should disregard court orders. But that is precisely what Trump did.
During Trump’s visit to California last week he told Border Patrol agents not to allow any migrants in. “Tell them we don’t have the capacity, If judges give you trouble, say, ‘Sorry, judge, I can’t do it. We don’t have the room.’
That is stunning!
News reports about what happened next should allow us to feel that many in this nation still adhere to the bedrock values from our civics classes. After Orange Mussolini left the room the agents asked for clarification from their superiors who told them they were not giving them that direction, and if they did what Trump said, they would take on personal liability. In other words people must follow the law.
A ruling was handed down Monday as if to underscore the process for how matters with immigration must be handled does indeed matter. A federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration from requiring asylum-seekers to return to Mexico as they await court hearings in the United States. While the judge delayed implementing his ruling to give the government time to appeal, that too is part of a legal process. The end result will not change, however, as the law over this matter is most clear. The Trump Administration over-reached and needs to be checked.
Meanwhile a Republican senator is taking his stand regarding another part of the over-reach from Trump and his White House. These moves matter for the sake of the nation.
The most senior Senate Republican is warning the White House not to oust another top immigration official, making appeals to the administration against dismissing Lee Francis Cissna, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, amid a purge of Homeland Security leaders.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said he was ‘very, very concerned’ regarding reports that Cissna could be next in a series of rapid-fire DHS dismissals that began late last week when the White House suddenly pulled the nomination of Ronald Vitiello, who had been tapped as director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
‘One, those are good public servants,’ Grassley said Monday evening, after rumors of Cissna’s potential exit percolated all day. “Secondly, besides the personal connection I have with them and the qualifications they have, they are the intellectual basis for what the president wants to accomplish in immigration.”
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