Democrats Attempt to Block President Trump’s Immigration Order

A group of 16 Democrats, led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has introduced legislation to block President Donald Trump from implementing his newest immigration and travel executive order.

Murphy was joined by the following senators:

• Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
• Patty Murray (D-Wash.),
• Tom Carper (D-Del.),
• Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.),
• Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),
• Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.),
• Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.),
• Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.),
• Chris Coons (D-Del.),
• Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.),
• Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii),
• Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.),
• Ed Markey (D-Mass.),
• Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and
• Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)

In declaring the new executive order “dangerous,” Murphy—who penned an op-ed for The Huffington Post in January that said the president’s original executive orders “make America less safe”—would withhold funding to enforce the executive order. The bill also declares the executive order illegal based on the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which banned discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin.

“Our job is to keep the American people safe, but this hateful ban puts lives at risk,” he said. “ISIS is already using President Trump’s order and the offensive rhetoric that defined his campaign to recruit more terrorists in the Middle East and indoctrinate lone wolves over the internet. A report by Donald Trump’s own administration found there’s no national security justification for it. Congress must pass this bill and block it now.”

In truth, the report was prepared by Obama administration holdouts working in the Department of Homeland Security. As has been noted previously, several past presidents—including President Barack Obama, who used such orders several times in his eight years in office—have implemented similar executive orders without so much as a whisper of disagreement from many of these same Democrats.

The White House is in the process of rallying its resources for another fight, but this bill—like one Murphy introduced in January—is unlikely to go anywhere in the Republican-controlled Senate, much less the House of Representatives. Expect to see some kind of legal challenge to the order in the days ahead. {eoa}