U.S. will catch but 'no longer release' undocumented immigrants, bar many from seeking asylum, Trump says
President Trump will use an executive order "next week" to end the catch and release policy he's detested for so long, he said in a speech Thursday.
America will "no longer release" undocumented immigrants found in the U.S., and instead will hold migrants in "massive tent cities" until their deportation or asylum proceedings, Trump said Thursday. The administration is currently building "massive cities of tents" along the border to accommodate for the expected influx of detainees, Trump added, insisting against evidence that it would be "totally legal" to indefinitely detain families.
Under the forthcoming executive order, "migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry," Trump added. That defies international law that says anyone can claim asylum in another country no matter how they enter. Trump also likened his so-called "zero tolerance" policy to parent-child separations under former President Barack Obama, though he neglected to mention that families were only split under Obama when a parent faced a criminal charge.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump also continued his fearmongering claims about the migrant caravan still 1,000 miles from the U.S. border. He suggested those in the caravan are "not legitimate asylum seekers," and besides, "women don't want them in our country." Trump recently said there may be as many as 15,000 troops to meet this "invasion" at the border, and added Thursday he "hope[s]" they won't have to fire at the migrants. But if those migrants throw rocks like they were accused of doing to Mexican police, Trump said "we will consider that a firearm ... because there's not much difference."
-
The environmental cost of GLP-1sThe explainer Producing the drugs is a dirty process
-
Greenland’s capital becomes ground zero for the country’s diplomatic straitsIN THE SPOTLIGHT A flurry of new consular activity in Nuuk shows how important Greenland has become to Europeans’ anxiety about American imperialism
-
‘This is something that happens all too often’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
