John Roberts with Fox News is reporting that President Trump is considering some time of election action today to deal with family separation at the border:
EXCLUSIVE: @realDonaldTrump considering some sort of executive action today to allow children to stay with detained parents through immigration adjudication process. Sources say Admin believes it is likely to draw a court challenge on the basis of Flores v Reno
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) June 20, 2018
Roberts was just talking about his on Fox News where he pointed to a tweet from Trump this morning that may indicate what he’s learned through his sources:
It’s the Democrats fault, they won’t give us the votes needed to pass good immigration legislation. They want open borders, which breeds horrible crime. Republicans want security. But I am working on something - it never ends!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2018
Trump blames Democrats and then says “But I am working on something”.
He did point out on Fox News, as he said in his tweet, that whatever this ‘something’ is, that officials believe it could begin another court challenge based on Flores v Reno.
As I’m finishing up this post, Roberts just tweeted out a second potential track Trump might be taking:
EXCLUSIVE: And now another potential track - sources tell @FoxNews that @SecNielsen is encouraging @realDonaldTrump to support a stand-alone “loopholes” bill in Congress and do the broader immigration/border security measures in another bill.
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) June 20, 2018
I guess the pressure really is mounting for the administration, because it seems to me that both of these actions would be caving in to the Democrats, giving up the ‘leverage’ they were hoping would result in a good immigration bill.
I’ll let you know when I have more.
UPDATE:
According to this AP reporter, Neilson is drafting an executive action:
Nielsen is drafting an executive action for Trump that would direct DHS to keep families apprehended at the border together during detention, via @colvinj @ctlong1. Nielsen is on her way to the White House to discuss the issue.
— Ken Thomas (@KThomasDC) June 20, 2018
Here’s more from the AP, which suggests the order would ask the DOD to help house detained families:
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is drafting an executive action for President Donald Trump that would direct DHS to keep families apprehended at the border together during detention.
That’s according to two people familiar with her thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the effort before its official announcement.
It’s unclear whether the president is supportive of the measure.
But Nielsen is on her way to the White House to discuss the issue with the president’s team, according to one of the people.
The person says the secretary believes there is little certainty that Congress will act to fix the separation issue and is trying to find a solution. The order would ask the Department of Defense to help house the detained families.
UPDATE 2:
A correspondent from NewsHour just tweeted Orrin Hatch has heard a ‘pause’ is in the works on child separations:
NEW.
— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) June 20, 2018
HATCH: just told me has has been contacted by "officials" saying that a possible Executive Order pausing child separations is in the works.
Tho he said he has *NOT* had a conversation w the WH yet and does not know if it is a certainty that Trump will sign.
BIG UPDATE:
It’s being reported that Trump has affirmed that he’s going to sign something:
BREAKING: Trump says he'll be "signing something" on immigration, wants to keep migrant families together.
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 20, 2018