Despite the spate of attempted bombings throughout the country, President Donald Trump and DHS have set their eyes firmly on the border and the “caravan” of Central American immigrants fleeing the violence and poverty of their home countries, still weeks away from the United States.
President Donald Trump is mulling an executive order to block the immigrants from entering the country, according to a Thursday Politico report. He is reportedly considering okaying legislation that would limit immigrants’ ability to seek asylum.
Per Politico, the executive action could mirror Trump’s travel ban, using the rationale that the migrants would be “detrimental to the interests of the United States.”
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, meanwhile, is shoring up the groundwork for DOD Secretary Jim Mattis to deploy 800 more troops to the border.
“We do not have any intention right now to shoot at people, but they will be apprehended, however,” Nielsen said Thursday on Fox News. “But I also take my officer and agent, their own person safety, extraordinarily seriously. They do have the ability of force to defend themselves.”
“I will make it clear that we absolutely will not tolerate violence against a border patrol in this situation,” she continued. “I will not tolerate Mexicans or anybody else acting in a violent way towards our men and women on the border.”
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— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 26, 2018
