It has now been four days since The Washington Post reported that President Trump has considered sending those who cross the Southern border to sanctuary cities. And despite the White House’s initial effort to downplay the idea, it seems this is a conversation Trump would very much like to have. After contradicting his own officials and confirming the idea was under consideration, Trump tweeted about it repeatedly over the weekend — even challenging sanctuary cities to make good on their pro-immigrant ideals.
As a political strategy, raising the idea makes some sense for Trump. As an actual policy, it makes next to none.
Trump’s rhetoric about undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers has not just been about how they are taking advantage of lax American laws or that they are in the country illegally but that they are also dangerous. He has decried them as gang members, “animals” and even terrorists. He has said Mexico and Central American countries are sending their dregs northward. “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists,” Trump said in his 2015 presidential announcement speech, “and some, I assume, are good people.”
View the complete April 15 article by Aaron Blake on The Washington Post website here.