Their latest editorial against President Donald Trump may well be the editors’ of the New York Times harshest yet. In it they accuse him of insanity—the title of the piece is “Borderline Insanity”, cruelty:
Any attempt to sell Mr. Trump’s cruel immigration agenda with a veneer of humanitarian measures should be viewed with skepticism. This administration has long held that the best way to deal with asylum seekers fleeing the horrors of their home countries is to increase their suffering upon reaching the United States to discourage others from even trying.
and spite:
Mr. Trump’s spiteful choice to shut parts of the government is only making the situation messier. Immigration judges are being furloughed, further slowing the processing of asylum requests. Border Patrol agents are working without pay, eroding morale. In perhaps the choicest twist of fate, some $300 million in new contracts for wall construction cannot be awarded until the shutdown ends.
Far be it from me to defend President Trump but I think this latest offering is excessive. For example here:
In a letter Sunday to lawmakers, the White House laid out its latest proposal for addressing the border tumult. The administration called for more immigration and Border Patrol agents, more detention beds and, of course, $5.7 billion to build 234 new miles of border wall. The White House also demanded an additional $800 million for “urgent humanitarian needs,†such as medical support, transportation and temporary facilities for processing and housing detainees.
Translation: Mr. Trump’s mass incarceration of migrant families is overwhelming an already burdened system that, without a giant injection of taxpayer dollars, will continue to collapse, leading to ever more human suffering.
they’re condemning the very policies that they, the editors of the Washington Post, and any number of other members of the punditry have been recommending. I guess it’s petty of me but I would also point out that under our system of government the primary responsibility for planning and preparedness belongs to the Congress not the president. I yield to no one in my despite of Congress’s fecklessness.
I do have a question. Are President Trump’s policies creating the rush of migrants to the border or has that been abetted by extending promises of legal entry to people who do not qualify for it under the law? Where does the cruelty lie?
I think they mostly come here because of conditions in their own country, not due to what politicians here have said or promised or done. Also, I am not sure it is possible to criticize Congress enough.
Steve