West Wing Imploding Over Immigration Order As Kelly, Nielsen Deem Decision Unconstitutional, New Report Claims
Stretching the limits of his constitutional powers, President Donald Trump recently authorized the troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border to use lethal force, but it is not only the public and the media that stands opposed to this development. According to a new Politico report, the West Wing appears to be imploding over the order as some administration officials battle immigration hawks deeming the decision unconstitutional.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, according to the outlet’s White House sources, engaged in a combative verbal exchange with Senior Policy Adviser Stephen Miller, President of the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council Chris Crane, and President of the Border Patrol Union Brandon Judd during a behind-closed-doors meeting presided over by President Trump himself. Vice President Mike Pence was also reportedly present at the meeting, although he is refusing to take a stand on the controversial issue.
Reports of West Wing disagreement come amid intense speculation that Trump is looking to fire and replace both Kirstjen Nielsen and John Kelly. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Nielsen and Kelly’s insistence that President Trump stays within the confines of the Constitution in the context of immigration appears to be the primary reason for their imminent ousting.
Signaling that Trump’s hardline immigration policy is designed and directed by a select few is the fact that Secretary of Defense James Mattis was reportedly taken aback by the administration’s decision, subsequently vowing that he will not let the troops violate the law regardless of what he is asked to do by higher ups, President Donald Trump included.
Changes are also being contemplated for the National Security Council at the urging of First Lady Melania Trump. https://t.co/Rm9ACekAAq
— WSJ Politics (@WSJPolitics) November 14, 2018
In spite of what appears to be an internal revolt, Trump is – along with some of his advisers – adamant to maintain a hardline immigration stance. In one of the most recent attempts at immigration crackdown, President Trump imposed radical restrictions on asylum seekers crossing the border. The administration’s decision was blocked by Judge Jon S. Tigar of the United States District Court in San Francisco, according to the New York Times.
“Whatever the scope of the president’s authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden,” the federal judge wrote in his order, but as the Washington Post reported, the Trump administration is coming up with ways to circumvent the decision. Asylum seekers attempting to cross the southern border will have to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed. This news policy, WaPo notes, is a major departure from current screening proceedings, since those asylum seekers who fear a return home will now be forced to remain in Mexico, instead of waiting for a hearing with an immigration judge in the United States.
