Donald Trump must not be convinced anything else is working to fire up his base so now he’s considering closing the U.S. border with Mexico to all migrants including those seeking asylum. The New York Times reports:
“The proposed executive action 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.
It would also be the most drastic in a series of steps Mr. Trump has taken or threatened to take in recent days — including preparations on Thursday to send as many as 1,000 active-duty Army troops to help secure the southern border — as he works to stoke fears of what he has called an “onslaught” of immigrants only days before the midterm elections.
The Trump administration has seen the migrant “caravan” slip from the headlines in recent days with a mad bomber on the loose so you can bet Trump & Co. will do everything they can to get in back front and center including moving 800 U.S. troops to the border to intercept the convoy of mostly women and children.
Defense Secretary Mattis is expected to sign deployment orders that could send 800 or more troops to the border to help border patrol authorities stop a caravan of migrants moving through Mexico to enter the US, according to administration officials https://t.co/Pz8HmXY7qn pic.twitter.com/LiNmBUYsJI
— CNN (@CNN) October 25, 2018
The convoy is still weeks away from the border but never mind, that’s not the point. It’s all about stoking fear. If Trump moves forward, the ban will no doubt be quickly challenged in court.
Deploying military troops as a last minute ploy to juice Republican turnout is insane, immoral, and very illegal https://t.co/tSWqwABdBq
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) October 26, 2018
Trump’s new threat to seal the southern border to ALL entrants — including legal immigrants like asylum seekers — is obviously illegal. It can only be a cynical ploy to distract attention from the real issues and toss red meat to his base. Don’t let him get away with it.
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) October 26, 2018
And it could also backfire. From Axios and the Pew Research Center:
- About 60% of registered Hispanic voters are more enthusiastic to vote in the midterm election in November.
- 50% of Hispanics say their situation in the U.S. has worsened over the past year, up from 32% since Trump won the 2016 presidential election.
- More than 29 million Latinos are eligible to vote, up from 25 million in 2014, per Pew.