Trump’s emergency declaration a threat to rule of law
President Trump has just declared a national emergency so that he can divert federal funds to pay for his border wall in order to satisfy the Ann Coulters of the world and his nativist base.
On cable news, the funding clash between congressional Democrats and Trump often seems like a chess match.
But this is no game. We’re talking about a deadly serious issue.
Using a manufactured emergency to circumvent Congress fundamentally undermines the rule of law and our democracy. It will also deepen the very real humanitarian crisis at the border – the one created by Trump.
Trump’s fake national emergency will be contested aggressively in the courts — I’m confident of that. But we cannot be distracted from what else Trump is doing on immigration, especially his attack on our asylum system.
Just 24 hours ago, we and our allies sued the Trump administration over a new policy that forces asylum seekers to return to Mexico and wait there while their cases are being considered. The case comes on the heels of another lawsuit we filed to protect the rights of more than 10,000 children who are being illegally detained as “bait” so immigration agents can gather information they can use to deport sponsors who want to provide shelter for these children.
Our asylum laws were born of our nation’s shame when the Roosevelt administration turned away Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis during World War II.
We cannot allow the Trump administration to circumvent these laws now.
Your voice is crucial. It’s more important than ever that you keep speaking out against Trump’s attacks on our laws and democracy.
The balance of power may have shifted in Congress, but the threat Trump poses has not diminished. In fact, Trump’s latest action shows that he has become even more willing to shred our democratic values.
