Trump and his white-nationalist allies are pursuing a shock-and-awe strategy against immigrants—and many Democrats seem all too eager to join him.
The post Democrats Are Helping Trump Carry Out His Nativist Agenda appeared first on The Nation…
President Donald Trump’s second term began much like his first: with a succession of shock-and-awe immigration tactics intended to herald the beginning of a new, more punitive era.
In his first week alone, Trump laid the foundation for a new Muslim ban, ordered the military to help carry out deportations, suspended refugee admissions, and attempted to end birthright citizenship, a blatantly unconstitutional act. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids ramped up almost immediately after Trump returned to the White House, with the agency arresting nearly 1,200 people across the country in a single day. The administration reportedly plans to conduct major raids in three cities each week. It has also begun flying migrants to the prison on the Guantánamo Bay Navy base.
The Trump administration is already being sued in multiple jurisdictions and by various actors over its immigration policies. These legal challenges could prevent the most egregious abuses, like the attempted abolition of birthright citizenship, from going into effect—though the current makeup of both the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court makes it hard to be optimistic about even that. Still, no amount of pushback will stop Trump’s army of nativists, led by White House adviser Stephen Miller, from trying to enact their white nationalist agenda……