President Trump’s executive order banning travelers from several Muslim countries as well as all refugees didn’t leave a lot of room for misunderstanding of its intentions, and multiple federal court rulings barring the implementation of parts of the order were similarly pretty clear. Among government employees, however, everything appears optional.
The ban was panned by the State Department, and the Justice Department took it a step further, insisting that they’re not even going to try to defend the order in court. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates added she doesn’t think the executive order wss even lawful, and doesn’t want department lawyers trying to defend the bans. She was fired later in the evening by Trump.
It’s as yet unclear if the Justice Department’s position will immediately change, but Sen. Jeff Sessions (R – AL) was nominated for the position, and a confirmation vote could happen as soon as Tuesday. Sessions is seen as generally anti-immigration, and likely to support the ban.
With Justice Department lawyers or not, a lot of federal judges appear to be extremely skeptical of the ban, and there were multiple emergency court orders staying the implementation of various parts of the ban within the first 48 hours after the order was signed.
The federal court orders don’t appear to be taken very seriously by some agencies either, with growing calls for the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to be held in contempt for not complying with an order by Judge Leonie Brinkema to give detained legal permanent US residents access to lawyers.
Instead of letting the lawyers in to talk with the detainees, the CBP instead just gave the detainees a paper copy of the judge’s order and a list of lawyers from northern Virginia who deal with immigration cases.
Lawyers seeking to challenge the detention are running into a brick wall, as the CBP won’t let them see any of those being held, or even telling them the names of the detained, and with no names they can’t file court cases on the detainees’ behalf.
Multiple members of Congress even tried to get involved at Dulles Airport, seeking to speak to CBP agents at the site. They were shooed away by police, however, who insisted all the border agents are in “a secure area” that Congress can’t access. Sen. Cory Booker (D – NJ) also demanded to see anyone from the CBP but was denied, with police only willing to take written messages to the agents, who are all behind locked doors.
This could quickly set up a battle of two federal departments, with the police responsible for enforcing the court order working for the Justice Department, and the CBP forces determined to spurn those order with the Department of Homeland Security.
The White House largely didn’t address the risk of internal clashes, or the CBP controversy. They did, however, respond to the State Department’s criticism of the ban by suggesting those diplomats who didn’t like it should resign from their posts to be replaced by people who are “with the program.”
An airport employee at Dallas Fort-Worth said on Reddit that the supervisors there ignored Trump’s order. “Business as usual” was the directive given.
If true, then at least one place the civil management showed some sense.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
for those who recognise these words, time has come to reflect upon yourselves.
A poem written in the late 1800’s is not the basis for rational national policy. That tripe should be jackhammered off the Statue of Liberty . The “wretched refuse” of teeming shores has no right to come to America and Americans have every right to control our borders.
During the rise of the third Reich, nothing was considered as sacred either.
The people have been screwed by the US style of greedy capitalism which doesn’t serve the middle class and lower. But they were incapable of figuring that out and so turned to a corporate psychopath for help. Exactly the oppositie direction from how they should have reacted.
And now we hear batshit crazy people like you saying things like that.
And that’s only one example of the many batshit crazy stuff that we’re hearing now. The saving grace is that Trump will fall from ‘grace’ before he can do too much damage. It’s a big maybe and history tells us that it doesn’t usually work that way once a people have descended to the level of a corporate psychopath (or madman) to lead their country.
Don is a liberal , A liberal that has swallowed Fake news’s bull crap hook line and sinker . He actually believes what he says . I’am a liberal too but I have learned to destiquish fiction from fact a little better .
All non US citizens should be deported. It doesn’t matter if they are “permanent” or not. These invaders are not facing criminal charges, yet, so there is no right to a lawyer. Ship them back to their homelands.
Would you have demanded the deportation of Wernher von Braun who was smuggle into our country and was a German national at that time? Or of the German Albert Einstein? Or the Italian Enrico Fermi?
Are you aware of the fact that many of the persons you refer to are in the process of becoming US citizens? Legally.
It’s a Muslim ban and it’s going to take nothing less than a bloody dictator to force the law to say otherwise. Totally possible!
luv from Canada.
If you don’t want to stop Terrorists why are they searching everybody at the airport .
You people have fallen for fake news . Just to prove you are fake news believers . Do you remember when Obama put a 180 day ban on refugees trying to escape Iraq . ? No you don’t remember . because the fake news didn’t tell you and did not talk about it 24v hrs a day seven days a week how un-American this ban was . The Iraq Christians that Saddam had protected were being murdered in the streets and were trying to escape Iraq . As a matter of fact over 1/2 of all Iraq’s several million Christians were eliminated before Obama left office . Now Trump opposition is complaining about be treated as low class fake news . The quicker the American people come to realize this fake news service is not just the opposition , which would be fine even often helpful many times ,but is a diabolical enemy spewing lying propaganda as dangerous to our government , our freedom and constitution and liberty As of the worst enemies we have ever faced in the battle field
What a good idea to ignore exactive order.
Ignoring maybe he might resign?