SPLC statement on Trump's threat to call up troops and close the southern border
Today’s announcement that President Trump might call up federal troops and “close our southern border” to stop immigrants from countries like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador from entering the U.S. is racist and illegal.
Since the day the President took office, his administration has implemented policies that are intended to prevent vulnerable asylum seekers who have fled persecution in their home countries from seeking protection in the United States.
Today’s announcement is just another political ploy, using scare tactics to paint lawful immigration as a security threat.
Earlier this week, the SPLC and other organizations updated a class action lawsuit filing in their ongoing case against the Trump administration, called Al Otro Lado, Inc. v. Nielsen.
The filing directly links high-level Trump administrators to an official “Turnback Policy,” ordering U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials to illegally restrict the number of asylum seekers who can access the asylum process at ports of entry.
We will continue our fight to hold this administration accountable to fundamental principles of fairness and decency.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
