Homeland Secretary Nielsen spoke to the press just now at the White House and she really defended the policies of the administration very well.
This is basically what it comes down to:
NIELSEN: "Here is the bottom line. DHS is no longer ignoring the law... surely it's the beginning of the unraveling of democracy when the body who makes the laws, instead of changing them, tells the enforcement body not to enforce them."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 18, 2018
FAMILY SEPARATION ISN'T A LAW! pic.twitter.com/UDy9X802zN
Nielsen says that the previous administration was ignoring the law, and they’re merely implementing it. Now, that’s pretty much true.
She had tweeted the point earlier:
Surely it is the beginning of the unraveling of democracy when the body that makes the laws - rather than change them- asks the body charged with law enforcement to not enforce the law. That simply cannot be the answer. Congress must act.
— Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 18, 2018
But really the best point is simply that if people have a problem with the law, then they should change it. That is Congress’s job, not the Department of Homeland Security. That makes sense.
Now, once you go to Congress, it sounds like Trump is using the situation to pressure Democrats to vote for his wall – but while some might think this is a genius move, it might be hurting the Republican party given all the bad press they’re getting.
Here’s more of Nielsen before the press: