Trump Declares National State of Emergency
There is indeed a National Emergency at America’s Southern border
February 21, 2019
In the Rose Garden of the White House on February 15, 2019, President Trump declared a National State of Emergency in reference to the immigration crisis at America’s Southern border. Trump has made illegal immigration and his wall a focal point of his campaign and presidency since the beginning, and when Congress decided not to fund his border wall project, he took it upon himself to take action.
The President is allowed to declare a National Emergency under the National Emergency Act of 1976, which permits the chief executive to declare a state of emergency under the constraints that he can only use powers previously permitted by Congress, and he must state which powers he plans to use.
Trump’s declaration of emergency has received much criticism from the left, especially from Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Many Democrats feel that Trump’s declaration is a way of running around Congress, and is therefore unconstitutional.
However, National Emergency powers are guaranteed to the President for a reason, and Trump has the right to use them if he sees fit. Trump has teased at this declaration for weeks now, and he finally went through with it.
The debatable issue, in this case, is what is classified as an emergency and what a president can do once a state of emergency is declared. However, the National Emergency Act of 1976 provides no definition of an emergency and has almost no specifications for what the President can or can not do. Therefore, President Trump could very well have his way with the border wall- and this isn’t such a bad thing.
Drugs and illegal immigration have been a huge problem at America’s southern border for years now. As of 2016, there were 12 million immigrants from Mexico living in the United States. Of these 12 million, only 45% were here legally, according to the Pew Research Center. Illegal immigration waters down the economy, decreases the job pool, and puts American citizens at risk.
On top of illegal immigration, the drug flow from Mexico has also been an enormous problem. According to washingtonexaminer.com, “Over 99 percent of all marijuana and methamphetamine seized at U.S. borders has come from Mexico, a colossal cache of 8.2 million pounds since 2012.”
Another immigration problem is the rise of “migrant caravans”, composed of people from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, who plan to march to the Southern border from countries all throughout Latin America and demand to be allowed into our country. If they are let in, what does that say to immigrants who have undergone the legal immigration process, spending money, time, and making sacrifices to become properly naturalized? These caravans have displayed violent behavior and have even had some of their members deported by Mexican officials on their way to the US border.
The entry of illegal immigrants, the passage of drugs, and violent migrant caravans should be enough for any political official to concur that there is indeed a national emergency at the southern border. Why, then, are democrats up-in-arms about Trump’s declaration?
Liberals have displayed a clear hatred for Trump and his objectives through their attempts to halt any progress towards his campaign promises. There’s nothing they’d like to see more than Trump’s promises falling flat. What was his main campaign promise? A wall.
Democratic leaders in Congress and other regions of government have stated unconstitutionality as reasoning for opposition to Trump’s declaration. However, many of these same Democrats supported Obama’s usage of billions of dollars in undedicated “loose” funds when he went to war in Libya or paid insurance companies billions of dollars to support Obamacare without Congressional approval.
In other words, Democrats criticize Trump’s decision to declare a state of emergency to secure funding for a border wall (which is not, by definition, unconstitutional) while supporting Obama’s spending without congressional approval and no declaration of emergency (which is, indeed, unconstitutional).
Democratic opposition to Trump’s wall is nothing but a political attempt to make Trump’s campaign promises fall flat. However, this hasn’t stopped 16 states (including California) from suing in an effort to stop Trump’s spending. Trump hinted at this in his speech by saying, “Look, I expect to be sued.” He also made predictions that the suit would be taken to the 9th circuit, which resides in California. His tweet confirmed this: “As I predicted, 16 states, led mostly by Open Border Democrats and the Radical Left, have filed a lawsuit in, of course, the 9th Circuit!”
The left’s hatred for Trump and his wall are further put on display when the Secure Fence Act (2006) is considered. The Secure Fence Act allocates funding for “two layers of reinforced fencing” and “additional physical barriers” in an attempt to hinder illegal immigration. This Act received lots of bipartisan support, including the support of Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In 2006, Obama himself said, “…the bill before us will certainly do some good. It will authorize some badly needed funding for better fences and better security along our borders and that should help stem some of the tide of illegal immigration in this country,” in reference to the Secure Fence Act.
Another clear cut example of the left’s hypocrisy is their newfound support for illegal immigrants and their children in our modern humanitarian crisis. In an interview with Obama conducted by George Stephanopoulos in 2014, Obama said, “Do not send your children to the borders… If they do make it, they’ll get sent back.” This presents a sharp contrast to their modern apparent support for the children of illegal immigrants, as many liberals severely criticize Trump for expressing his opinion that illegal immigrants should be sent back and his detainment and separation of illegal immigrant families (even though these policies and detention centers were put in place by the Obama administration, a fact that many Democrats seem to overlook or forget). Many liberals even advocate for better treatment of illegals and for more lax admittance terms into our nation.
Liberal support of agendas promoting border security in the past shows that even they recognize that there is a problem at America’s Southern border, so why the opposition now? Purely to oppose Trump and the views of many conservatives across the country.
Trump’s declaration of emergency will no doubt be an ugly fight in court, but he is within his rights as President of the United States and the drug and immigration crisis at the border is certainly an emergency. Trump has an obligation to the people of America and especially his voters to do what is best for the country and to do all that is within his power to fulfill his campaign promises. Therefore, Trump should continue with his pursuit of the border wall.
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