| WASHINGTON – It’s no secret that President Trump is using every tool he can to address the border crisis without help from Congress. While the true cause of the crisis are legal loopholes in our immigration system that only Congress can fix, House Democrats continue to reject the president’s calls for reform, forcing him to act unilaterally. Take a look at everything the president has done since Democrats gained control of the House to enhance border security, address the humanitarian crisis at our southwest border, and to stop fraud and abuse of our immigration laws.
July
- The Trump Administration announced it planned to issue a rule to crack down on smugglers and criminals exploiting loopholes in our immigration laws. The rule would limit-asylum-claims for those attempting to enter at the southwest border who have not first applied for asylum in at least one third country where it was available. An Obama-appointed California federal judge has enjoined the rule.
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)Acting Secretary McAleenan announced the administration will expand expedited removal for illegal immigrants who can’t prove they’ve been in the country continuously for two years.
- Acting Secretary McAleenan and President Trump aggressively pursued a safe third country agreement with Guatemala to both provide safety for those with legitimate asylum claims while helping stem abuse of our immigration laws.
- Attorney General Barr narrowed who is eligible to claim U.S. asylum based on group affiliation, boosting the integrity of our asylum system.
June
- The administration secured an agreement requiring Mexico to step up efforts to secure its borders and reduce immigration to the United States. Border apprehensions fell 28 percent in June.
May
- Acting Secretary McAleenan called onCongress to pass emergency funding to address the immediate crisis. House Democrats did not act on this request for months, calling the crisis “manufactured” and blocking Republican attempts to force a vote on the emergency supplemental more than 15 times.
- The White House rolled out a plan to improve border security and reform legal immigration. Congress has yet to act on it.
April
- DHS began deploying personnel from across the department to the border to assist Customs and Border Protection (CBP) process and care for migrants.
- President Trump called on his attorney general and DHS secretary to craft new regulations to reform the asylum system.
March
- DHS pressed lawmakers for legislation that would strengthen asylum laws and allow the administration to more easily remove migrants to address the root causes of the border crisis. Congress has yet to act on this request.
February
- President Trump declared a national emergency at our southwest border to secure funding for a border wall system to enhance the impedance and denial of illicit activity capability of CBP. While this action was initially held up in court, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to carry out its plans just last week.
January
- The administration began implementing Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) to provide order at the southwest border and stop smugglers and traffickers from exploiting our immigration laws. MPP allows certain migrants to be returned to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings, where Mexico provides them with proper humanitarian protections.
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