Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 3 april 2018

Trump pushes Republicans to use ‘nuclear option’ on border

By JILL COLVIN by Senate Majority Leader
Associated Press Mitch McConnell, who ar-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump gues Republicans will wel-
administration officials said come the filibuster if they
Monday they’re crafting a return to being the Senate
new legislative package minority. The current split is
aimed at closing immigra- 51-49 favoring Republicans.
tion “loopholes,” hours af- Notably, Trump’s favored
ter the president called on DACA solution mustered
Republicans in Congress to only 39 votes in the Senate,
immediately pass a border meaning it couldn’t have
bill using the “Nuclear Op- passed even if the Senate
tion if necessary” to muscle did approve the changes.
it through. Trump’s tweets calling on
“Border Patrol Agents (and Mexico to halt “caravans”
ICE) are GREAT, but the filled with immigrants in the
weak Dem laws don’t allow country illegally came af-
them to do their job. Act ter a “Fox & Friends” report
now Congress, our country early Sunday that featured
is being stolen!” President the leader of the union
Donald Trump wrote in a representing border pa-
series of sometimes-mis- trol agents predicting that
leading tweets, fired off af- those in the caravan would
ter returning from a holiday President Donald Trump blows a whistle to start a race for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll create havoc and chaos in
weekend spent in Florida on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 2, 2018. the U.S. as they wait for im-
with several immigration Associated Press migration reform.
hardliners. arrested at the border and opposition from moderate weekend at his Mar-a-Lago About 1,100 migrants,
Trump also declared pro- traveling alone. Under cur- Republicans and Demo- club, having meals with many from Honduras, have
tections for so-called rent law, unaccompanied crats going into the mid- his family, watching cable been marching along
Dreamer immigrants children from countries that term elections. But Trump news shows and rubbing roadsides and train tracks
“dead,” claimed the U.S. don’t border the U.S. would appears intent on ensuring elbows with conservative in the southern Mexican
has “no effective border be placed under the super- the issues remain at the commentators including state of Oaxaca. These
laws” and warned Mexico vision of the Department of forefront of public conver- Fox News host Sean Han- “Stations of the Cross” mi-
to halt the passage of “car- Health and Human Services sation, even though the nity, according to several grant caravans have been
avans” of illegal immigrants and undergo often-lengthy omnibus was widely seen club members. Also spot- held in southern Mexico for
or risk retribution. deportation proceedings as the last major legislation ted at the club: champion- at least the last five years.
“They must stop the big before an immigration likely passed this year. ship golfer Dustin Johnson, They began as short pro-
drug and people flows, or judge instead of being de- In his Easter weekend MyPillow maker Michael cessions of migrants, some
I will stop their cash cow, ported. The administration tweets and comments, J. Lindell, boxing promoter dressed in biblical garb
NAFTA. NEED WALL!” he is also pushing Congress Trump continued to blame Don King and former New and carrying crosses, as
wrote. Trump has been to terminate a 1997 court Democrats for killing the York Police Commissioner an Easter-season protest
seething over immigration settlement that requires the Obama-era Deferred Ac- Bernie Kerik. against the kidnappings,
since realizing the major government to release chil- tion for Childhood Arriv- Staffers with Trump over the extortion, beatings and kill-
spending bill he signed dren from custody to par- als program despite the holiday included policy ad- ings suffered by many Cen-
last month barely funds ents, adult relatives or other fact that he was the one viser Stephen Miller, one of tral American migrants as
the “big, beautiful” border caretakers as their cases who moved to end the the chief architects of the they cross Mexico.
wall he has promised his make their way through program. He also claimed administration’s anti-im- Individuals in the caravans
supporters. The $1.3 trillion immigration court. Officials DACA, which has provided migration policies, but not often try to reach the U.S.
funding package included complain that many chil- temporary protection from his chief of staff John Kelly border but usually not as
$1.6 billion in border wall dren never show up at their deportation and work per- or his elder daughter, Ivan- part of the caravan. The
spending, but much of that hearings. mits to hundreds of thou- ka, both considered more caravans typically don’t
money can be used only The proposals appear the sands of young people, moderate influences. proceed much farther
to repair existing segments, same as those included on is luring people to cross Trump’s past calls to use north than the Gulf coast
not to build new sections. a White House immigration the border illegally, even the “nuclear option” — state of Veracruz. The cur-
Among the measures the wish list that was released in though the program — and changing the Senate rules rent march is scheduled
administration is pursuing: October but failed to gain most proposals to replace to require a simple major- to end this month with a
ending special safeguards traction during negotiations it — have never been open ity of 51 votes to override conference on migration is-
that prevent the immedi- over the border wall. Such to new arrivals. a rule instead of 60— have sues in the central Mexican
ate deportation of children proposals are likely to face Trump spent much of the been repeatedly dismissed state of Puebla.q