President Trump's attempt to extend authority of immigration officers to deport people with out allowing them to appear before judges was blocked nationwide by U.S. District Judge Ketanji Jackson Friday. The judge ruled the administrations expansion of expedited removal authority violated procedural requirements to first seek public comments and ignored flaws in how it has been used at the border. The judge's order did not rule on the merits of the case but the decision prevents the administration from expanding fast track authority nationwide.
It is another sad example of an administration who still lacks a legislative agenda for immigration reform after 32 months in office and prefers to demagogue the issues with executive orders and administration procedures that end up being overturned by the courts. And it was the trumpet man himself and his party during the 2016 Presidential election that said if they won the White House they would have an immigration legislation reform plan for the country. Well, they did win, but all they have to show for it is immigration rhetoric, like Mexico will pay for the wall and etc, etc, etc.
The voters should remember that U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Lindsay Graham were also running for the republican Presidential nomination in 2016 and indorsed that approach. Both are still serving in the U.S. Senate that has been controlled by their party for the last four and half years but neither has introduced one piece of immigration reform in their own chamber. They too, only have immigration rhetoric on the subject.
There is only one way to accomplish true immigration reform and that is by legislative action. But Trump and his party has failed to embrace that approach because they do not care about the issue. The democrats have always had a immigration legislative plan as explained in previous commentary in PolitiDose. And if a democrat wins the White House in the 2020 elections they will act on the issue with legislation.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
