Immigration

Report: Trump is Considering a Latino Ban

Written by SK Ashby

It's not clear to me if this would even be legal under current federal law, but the New York Times reports that Trump is considering an executive order that could be accurately described as a Latino ban.

The executive order being considered by the White House would block anyone from seeking political asylum at our southern border with Mexico.

WASHINGTON — President Trump is considering taking executive action to bar migrants, including asylum seekers, from entering the country at the southern border, according to people familiar with the plan. The effort would be the starkest indication yet of Mr. Trump’s election-season push to play to his anti-immigrant base as his party fights to keep control of Congress.

The proposal amounts to a sweeping use of presidential power to fortify the border and impose the kind of aggressive immigration restrictions and enforcement measures that Mr. Trump has made his signature pursuit.

The plan is expected to prompt a swift challenge in federal courts.

Between an upcoming order to send military police and engineers to the border, and a last-minute order to block all requests for asylum, there's absolutely no doubt that Trump is using the power of his office and jeopardizing the lives of refugees for purely political purposes. These are political stunts.

Then again, that's all it has ever been, isn't it? Brown humans are his political punching bag. Trump kicked off his campaign in 2015 by declaring that immigrants are rapists.

Now, asking for asylum at the border is completely legal under current federal law. In fact, requesting asylum is the proper and even encouraged way to cross the border if you're fleeing violence and persecution. Trump may issue this order, but it will require extraordinary reasoning to uphold it.

Of course, issuing an order just to have a federal court block it may be exactly what Trump's advisers want.