Return Of Family-Separation Policy Not Off The Table, As Trump Hints At Unleashing Fiercer Assault On Immigration
Although the policy drew ferocious pushback from lawmakers and the public, three senior administration officials with knowledge of President Donald Trump's conversations over the past several months confirmed that the president has repeatedly told aides that he wants to restart the family separation policy. The deliberations come as Trump has begun to purge the Department of Homeland Security.
The New York Times:
Trump Signals Even Fiercer Immigration Agenda, With A Possible Return Of Family Separations
President Trump’s purge of the nation’s top homeland security officials is a sign that he is preparing to unleash an even fiercer assault on immigration, including a possible return of his controversial decision last summer to separate migrant children from their parents, current and former administration officials said Monday. Mr. Trump shook up the ranks of his top immigration officials after spending months demanding that they take tougher action to stop the surge in migrant families at the border and seething about what he considers their overly legalistic refusals to do what he has said was necessary. (Shear, Kanno-Youngs and Haberman, 4/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
White House Seeks Tighter Grip On Immigration Policy
Mr. Trump has also told aides he wants to reinstate his family-separation policy, which provoked a political outcry when it was implemented last spring, in order to deter would-be migrants. An administration official said Mr. Trump recently told Stephen Miller, one of his most hard-line advisers: “You’re in charge” of the administration’s immigration policy. Immigration policy was a central plank of Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, and the Republican president has indicated he plans to run on the issue again as he seeks re-election next year. (Ballhaus and Salama, 4/8)
The Washington Post:
Trump Removes Secret Service Director As Purge Of DHS Leadership Widens
President Trump continued to dismantle the leadership of the nation’s top domestic security agency Monday, as the White House announced the imminent removal of U.S. Secret Service Director Randolph D. “Tex” Alles, the latest in a series of head-spinning departures from the Department of Homeland Security. A day after Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was forced to step aside following a White House meeting with Trump, senior DHS officials remained in a fog about the fate of their agency’s leaders, expecting more firings as part of a widening purge. (Miroff, Olorunnipa, Dawsey and Leonnig, 4/8)
Politico:
Trump’s DHS Purge Floors Republicans
President Donald Trump’s congressional allies are alarmed by his purge at the Department of Homeland Security — urging him not to fire more top officials and warning him how hard it will be to solve twin crises at the border and the federal agencies overseeing immigration policy. (Everett, Bresnahan and Zanona, 4/8)
The Hill:
HHS Considering Moving Migrant Children To New Shelters In Dallas, Atlanta: Report
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is reportedly considering moving migrant children to new shelters in cities including Dallas and Atlanta in response to overcrowded shelters that are currently housing migrants. The Dallas Morning News reported Monday that HHS is looking at vacant properties in several cities in Texas, including Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston. The agency is also looking at Phoenix and Atlanta, the newspaper reported. (Burke, 4/8)
