Thread: Senior administration officials complaining to Trump about Sessions' handling of bord

Senior administration officials complaining to Trump about Sessions' handling of border, official says

By Boris Sanchez and Kyle Feldscher, CNN
Updated 6:23 AM ET, Thu September 20, 2018

(CNN) President Donald Trump's anger over Attorney General Jeff Sessions' job performance at the border is tied to complaints made by several senior administration officials, according to a White House official close to discussions on immigration policy.

The official tells CNN Trump has heard directly from high-ranking figures who are upset over the pace at which the Department of Justice has moved to adjudicate asylum claims, resulting in a backlog of cases.

The official says while this is likely "palace intrigue" because the Justice Department "is doing their part," the complaints have only compounded Trump's frustration about a stalled immigration agenda and his anger with Sessions that stems from his decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe last year.

In response, a Justice Department official told CNN that the DOJ is only partly responsible for the backlog and the department has announced the steps it is taking to help reduce it.

There is a massive backlog in immigration courts that is up to hundreds of thousands of cases.

Part of the problem is that there are only about 350 immigration judges nationwide, and the President has seemed resistant to hiring more judges, despite Sessions' urging to increase hiring. The Justice Department has also worked to cut the time it takes to hire a new immigration judge in half, according to a news release from the department.

"Hiring many thousands (sic) of judges, and going through a long and complicated legal process, is not the way to go - will always be disfunctional (sic). People must simply be stopped at the Border and told they cannot come into the U.S. illegally," Trump tweeted on June 25.

Four days before that, Trump tweeted, "We shouldn't be hiring judges by the thousands, as our ridiculous immigration laws demand, we should be changing our laws, building the Wall, hire Border Agents and Ice and not let people come into our country based on the legal phrase they are told to say as their password."

Sessions has previously said the Department of Homeland Security, which conducts interviews on individuals seeking asylum in the US, ends up approving too many asylum applications.

"And the adjudication process is broken as well," Sessions said in an October 2017 speech. "DHS found a credible fear in 88% of claims adjudicated. That means an alien entering the United States illegally has an 88% chance to avoid expedited removal simply by claiming a fear of return."

Trump told reporters Wednesday his frustrations with Sessions aren't just limited to his recusal from the Russia investigation.

"I'm disappointed in the attorney general for numerous reasons. But we have an attorney general. I'm disappointed in the attorney general for many reasons," Trump told reporters on the South Lawn. "And you understand that."

When asked about Sessions by HillTV Tuesday, Trump said, "I'm not happy at the border, I'm not happy with numerous things, not just this."

During that same interview, Trump promised to do something within "the next two weeks" on immigration.

The White House confirmed the administration has been working on new regulations for several months, and they are now being vetted by DHS and other administration agencies.

At least one of the new regulations would tweak specific guidelines related to H-1B visas to prioritize merit based immigration, according to the White House official.

Despite Trump boasting that these new steps would be impressive, the official indicated the adjustments would be "minor changes made at the margins. None of it will result in major changes."

Sessions did move Tuesday to take further action at the border, tightening his control on immigration courts.

In one decision, Sessions further constrained the discretion of immigration judges to show leniency to undocumented immigrants. In the other, he signaled he may restrict the ability of immigrants awaiting asylum hearings to be let out of detention.

CNN's Evan Perez contributed to this report.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/20/polit...der/index.html

No papers, no entry, NO rights!

Turn them right back around!

Give them a bus ticket and get them off our soil!!!

"Hiring many thousands (sic) of judges, and going through a long and complicated legal process, is not the way to go - will always be disfunctional (sic). People must simply be stopped at the Border and told they cannot come into the U.S. illegally," Trump tweeted on June 25.

Wouldn't it be nice if it were actually that simple! Sorry, Mr. President, our porous border makes that an impossibility. The way things stand right now, any illegal turned away will just continue moving to another section of border until they are finally successful in their crossing endeavor or they'll just use our written law to claim asylum.

Attacking Jeff Sessions on border security is just wrong, wrong, wrong. He's doing absolutely everything he can with what he has to work with. You should be appreciative of his efforts, not critical. The backlog is because of our laws, not Sessions. Furthermore, the majority of the backlog happened during the Obama administration. Sessions is doing his best to fix the issue and your constant lobbying of grenades in his direction is not helpful. If it takes more immigration judges to clear the backlog, than so be it!

Do you remember when Trump was furious about this uptick in border crossings during the "caravan" fiasco? He called Mexico to tell them to stop it, he ordered NG Troops to the border to stop it, and told Border Patrol to turn them back, tweeting "We're closed" to stop it.

At that same time, Jeff Sessions went to the Border and held a press conference, I think in Arizona. He announced the policy of "zero tolerance", telling the universe you will be arrested and prosecuted. In order for that to happen, you have to admit them, arrest them, detain them, separate the families, and prosecute.

I don't know if Jeff Sessions intended to cross-wires with the President's orders, but he did. Border Patrol who was turning them away, started letting them in, detaining them, separating them, and holding them for prosecution. Then the media got involved in the "separations", then the lawsuits and courts got involved and stopped that and so all the people admitted, detained, separated and held for prosecution were released by the courts because DOJ can't process and prosecute or even deport within the legal time frame before a release is required by the courts.

Originally Posted by Judy

Do you remember when Trump was furious about this uptick in border crossings during the "caravan" fiasco? He called Mexico to tell them to stop it, he ordered NG Troops to the border to stop it, and told Border Patrol to turn them back, tweeting "We're closed" to stop it.

At that same time, Jeff Sessions went to the Border and held a press conference, I think in Arizona. He announced the policy of "zero tolerance", telling the universe you will be arrested and prosecuted. In order for that to happen, you have to admit them, arrest them, detain them, separate the families, and prosecute.

I don't know if Jeff Sessions intended to cross-wires with the President's orders, but he did. Border Patrol who was turning them away, started letting them in, detaining them, separating them, and holding them for prosecution. Then the media got involved in the "separations", then the lawsuits and courts got involved and stopped that and so all the people admitted, detained, separated and held for prosecution were released by the courts because DOJ can't process and prosecute or even deport within the legal time frame before a release is required by the courts.

I don't think Sessions "crossed-wires" with the President's orders. The two instances you're talking about could be completely unrelated. Trump said one thing and Sessions acted in good faith to do what the law demands. Regardless of what Trump said, the caravan was not stopped and unfortunately the law allowed them to apply for asylum. There really isn't anything that could have been done differently. I blame our U.S. Congress for the mess. Whatever the case, Jeff Sessions is doing his best to fix it with the tools he has at his disposal .... he's revamping every bad policy he can.

In my opinion, Jeff Sessions "zero tolerance" policy was the right thing. Like I said in my post, you just can't turn them away because they'll just come across the border somewhere else. Unfortunately, that's the way it's going to be until we get our border secured. I'm sure we can agree that our border is far from secured.

Well, gee, MW, if what Sessions did is what the law requires, then what do you want Trump to do? Break the law? It's my understanding that the United States has the authority under the President to close the border to illegal aliens and phony asylum-seekers. Border Patrol was turning them away. Mexico stopped quite a few of them, I think 700 of the 1500 in that caravan.

Trump doesn't want them in the country, he wants them turned back and denied entry. Most Americans don't want them in the country, and want them turned back and denied entry.

I think you're sitting happy on a lonely lily pad.

Maybe Trump has figured out a solution or a new plan for something and will announce it soon in a new Executive Order. He said in a "few weeks", so maybe early October.

Originally Posted by Judy

Well, gee, MW, if what Sessions did is what the law requires, then what do you want Trump to do? Break the law? It's my understanding that the United States has the authority under the President to close the border to illegal aliens and phony asylum-seekers. Border Patrol was turning them away. Mexico stopped quite a few of them, I think 700 of the 1500 in that caravan.

Trump doesn't want them in the country, he wants them turned back and denied entry. Most Americans don't want them in the country, and want them turned back and denied entry.

I think you're sitting happy on a lonely lily pad.

Maybe Trump has figured out a solution or a new plan for something and will announce it soon in a new Executive Order. He said in a "few weeks", so maybe early October.

That's what we all want, but as I said, it's not that simple. Folks in hell want ice water too, but wanting and actually taking action to achieve are two separate things. We have to physically stop them from coming, not waving our hands in the air and saying, "you can't come in." To accomplish what we want, we have to secure our border from actual intrusion, not just wave a magic wand and say, "begone you interloper."

Turning someone away at one section of border will just send them elsewhere along the border to try again. Our border must be secured and the U.S. Congress knows this, yet they refuse to do what needs to be done.

Well, I think most people think it's best not to let them in to begin with and bounce them right back out at the border if they sneak in. But of course you're entitled to your view of the situation like everyone else.

Originally Posted by Judy

Do you remember when Trump was furious about this uptick in border crossings during the "caravan" fiasco? He called Mexico to tell them to stop it, he ordered NG Troops to the border to stop it, and told Border Patrol to turn them back, tweeting "We're closed" to stop it.

At that same time, Jeff Sessions went to the Border and held a press conference, I think in Arizona. He announced the policy of "zero tolerance", telling the universe you will be arrested and prosecuted. In order for that to happen, you have to admit them, arrest them, detain them, separate the families, and prosecute.

I don't know if Jeff Sessions intended to cross-wires with the President's orders, but he did. Border Patrol who was turning them away, started letting them in, detaining them, separating them, and holding them for prosecution. Then the media got involved in the "separations", then the lawsuits and courts got involved and stopped that and so all the people admitted, detained, separated and held for prosecution were released by the courts because DOJ can't process and prosecute or even deport within the legal time frame before a release is required by the courts.

Links? I want to see your links for Border Control turning them away! This I got to see!

Watch the U.S. Turn Away Asylum Seekers at the Border (Includes video so you can see)
Jun 18, 2018
Video by The Atlantic

“The [narcos] threatened to kill every last person in our house—even the dog,” says Wayner Berduo, a young Guatemalan asylum seeker at the U.S.-Mexican border, in a new documentary from The Atlantic. Berduo says he lost his left eye and the use of his right arm in a violent attack late last year. Like thousands of Central American families, the Berduos say they’re seeking legal protection in the U.S. because of gang violence at home.

But now, the Trump administration is taking steps to prevent them from finding safety in the U.S. On June 11, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ruled that the U.S. would no longer accept gang violence or domestic abuse as valid reasons for asylum. Meanwhile, citing lack of space, U.S. agents have started to turn back asylum seekers at ports of entry in recent weeks, leaving throngs of hopefuls at bridges all along the border. Critics say “slow-walking” asylum applicants is just one more measure meant to discourage Central Americans from entering the country.

Repeatedly turned away by U.S. border guards, the Berduo family spent days sleeping on the ground next to the international bridge—trapped in a kind of purgatory that spans the Rio Grande.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.
Author: Jeremy Raff

https://www.theatlantic.com/video/in...border-asylum/

'Caravan' of migrants turned away by US border patrol (Video so you can see)

https://abcnews.go.com/International...atrol-54822488

At the U.S. border, asylum seekers fleeing violence are told to come back later
Video allegedly shows U.S. border agents deny asylum seekers in El Paso

This video provided to The Post by the Annunciation House allegedly shows U.S. border agents preventing a Guatemalan man and his son from requesting asylum. (Daniel Rottenborn, Kevin Thompson and Alejandro Márquez/Annunciation House)
By Robert Moore
June 13

EL PASO — Serbando Pineda Hernandez and his 15-year-old son, Riquelmer, were making their ninth attempt in as many days to reach the port of entry here and apply for asylum. As they approached U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers Sunday on the Paso del Norte Bridge, Pineda...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/

Trump administration to turn away far more asylum seekers at the border under new guidance

By Tal Kopan, CNN
Updated 2:46 PM ET, Thu July 12, 2018

Trump implements new asylum policy

Washington (CNN)The Trump administration is implementing a new asylum policy at the border that will result in potentially thousands of asylum seekers being turned away before they can plead their case in court.

The guidance, reviewed by CNN, also applies to refugee applicants -- immigrants seeking similar protections in the US who are still abroad.

Under new guidance given Wednesday to the officers who interview asylum seekers at the US' borders and evaluate refugee applications, claims based on fear of gang and domestic violence will be immediately rejected. In addition, the guidance tells officers they should consider whether an immigrant crossed the border illegally and weigh that against their claim, potentially rejecting even legitimate fears of persecution if the immigrant crossed illegally.

The change shows that even as the administration reunites families it separated at the border under a now-reversed "zero-tolerance" policy, it continues to pursue aggressive measures that could dramatically reshape US immigration law.

The move is likely to draw swift condemnation from immigration advocates and legal challenges. Advocates say international law is clear that asylum claims are valid even when a migrant enters a country illegally. They also argue that rejecting these traumatized immigrants puts their lives at risk immediately upon their return home.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/11/polit...ons/index.html

Etc., Etc., Etc.