A bipartisan group of former national security officials is releasing an 11-page statement Monday arguing "there is no factual basis" for President Trump's declared national emergency to build his border wall. "Under no plausible assessment of the evidence is there a national emergency today that entitles the president to tap into funds appropriated for other purposes to build a wall at the southern border," write the 58 officials, including former Secretaries of State Madeline Albright and John Kerry, former Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta, and several other officials from previous Republican and Democratic administrations.
The statement cites federal statistics and reports to show that contrary to Trump's claims, border crossings are near 40-year lows, there are no documented terrorism or crime emergencies near the U.S. border, a wall wouldn't significantly reduce drug trafficking, and "a wall is unnecessary to support the use of the armed forces." Released one day before the House will vote to terminate Trump's emergency order, the document is partly intended to bolster legal challenges to the declaration. Federal courts cited a statement signed by several of the same former officials when blocking Trump's original Muslim travel ban in early 2017; a significantly revised and narrowed ban was later upheld by a 5-4 Supreme Court.
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