Common sense for a change on the border
On Friday, President Trump celebrated a couple of important victories.
First, the U.S. and Guatemala negotiated an important deal:
The Trump administration signed an agreement with Guatemala that will restrict asylum applications to the U.S. from Central America.
The "safe third country" agreement would require migrants, including Salvadorans and Hondurans, who cross into Guatemala on their way to the U.S. to apply for protections in Guatemala instead of at the U.S. border.
It could potentially ease the crush of migrants overwhelming the U.S. immigration system, although many questions remain about how the agreement will be executed.
We will see, but the message is clear. In other words, the U.S. is sending a message to future caravans that there is no guarantee that they will leave Guatemala. As a practical matter, it should curtail the traffic.
The border wall decision makes total sense. It clears the way for the Trump administration to use defense funds for border wall construction.
I'm surprised that it was a 5-4 decision. President Trump, or any other president, should have the discretion to use funds within a national security context. In my opinion, the U.S.-Mexico border is a matter of national security, from drug flow to human-trafficking to the potential for terrorist groups to walk into the U.S.
President Trump scores again. From the pathetic Mueller presentation to the border funding decision to the Guatemala agreement, President Trump is finishing July on a winning streak.
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