This is an era of massive hypocrisy.
On the one hand, you have the Left arguing that policy must change with regard to family separation at the border. That would be the same Left that argued in 2014 that it was utterly inhumane to keep children locked up with their illegal immigrant parents, and sued to have that policy changed.
On the other hand, you have the Trump administration arguing that “zero tolerance” at the border was good policy, and that family separation was merely a byproduct of the legal workings of the system; the Trump administration also argued that they didn’t have the legal authority to unilaterally overrule Ninth Circuit rulings on the Flores settlement. That would be the same Trump administration now arguing that Trump can unilaterally change policy through executive action.
On that first hand again, the Left argues that separation policy is essentially Nazi-esque evil. These would be the same people on the Left rejecting a legislative fix in order to “keep the focus” on President Trump, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) so charmingly put it.
On that other hand again, the Right argues that separating parents from children is a deterrent, while at the same time arguing that the policy is an Obama holdover for which the Trump administration bears no responsibility.
So, here’s the simple reality.
- The Trump administration did not create separation policy. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals did.
- The Trump administration did push a zero-tolerance policy on border crossing, treating all those who enter the country illegally as criminals.
- The Trump administration does not have the executive authority to unilaterally change law, as ruled by the Ninth Circuit.
- The policy should be changed, and should never have been discussed as a deterrent.
Nobody seems to truly care about any of these facts, or wants to do anything concrete to solve the problem. So, who wins the PR war? The Left, obviously. That’s not because they’re rhetorical geniuses. That’s because it’s almost impossible to roll out a policy as badly as the Trump administration has rolled out it’s zero tolerance policy. First, the administration announced a zero tolerance policy. Then, the administration said that the separation of children from parents was a deterrent. After that, the administration activated morons like Corey Lewandowski to say “womp womp” in front of cameras while discussing the fate of 10-year-olds with Down Syndrome separated from their parents. Meanwhile, the administration claimed that they had no power to change the law, because it was up to the legislature. Then, finally, Trump backed down and signed an executive order — which will likely be overturned by a court.
Masterful.