The Trump administration is considering creating a new “immigration czar” position to manage the recent influx of illegal immigrants at the southern border, the Associated Press reported Monday.
Former Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach and former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli are reportedly under consideration to fill the new position, which would either be housed in the Department of Homeland Security or the White House.
The report comes three days after Trump threatened in a series of tweets to shut down “the Border, or large sections of the Border,” if Mexican authorities fail to “immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug (sic) our Southern Border.”
The DEMOCRATS have given us the weakest immigration laws anywhere in the World. Mexico has the strongest, & they make more than $100 Billion a year on the U.S. Therefore, CONGRESS MUST CHANGE OUR WEAK IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW, & Mexico must stop illegals from entering the U.S….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2019
….through their country and our Southern Border. Mexico has for many years made a fortune off of the U.S., far greater than Border Costs. If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2019
….the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week. This would be so easy for Mexico to do, but they just take our money and “talk.” Besides, we lose so much money with them, especially when you add in drug trafficking etc.), that the Border closing would be a good thing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2019
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, in a Sunday tweet thread of her own, echoed Trump’s pronouncements, calling lawmakers’ refusal to modify immigration law in the face of an influx of migrant families “catastrophic.”
The security and humanitarian crisis at our southern border is getting worse every day. I again ask Congress to act ASAP to give @DHSgov the authorities we need to protect children from the terrible journey, discourage illegal immigration, and secure our border.
— Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen (@SecNielsen) March 31, 2019
I will say it again & again & again…failure to act is putting lives at risk—especially children who are exploited, pawned & in some cases ‘recycled’ by smugglers & traffickers. Bad guys know our outdated laws & they're using/re-using children as a ‘free ticket’ into America.
— Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen (@SecNielsen) March 31, 2019
Without a legal fix and additional resources, there will be no end to the crisis. Congress: @DHSgov is doing its job; ready to do yours?
— Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen (@SecNielsen) March 31, 2019
Nielsen has repeatedly called on Congress to adapt immigration law to the unique challenge posed by the arrival of massive numbers of families from Central America.
According to DHS data released last month, the number of family units arriving at the border has increased 338 percent since the previous fiscal year while the number of unaccompanied minors has risen by 58 percent.
Because these migrants hail from non-contiguous countries, immigration authorities are prohibited from returning them to their countries of origins and instead must shelter them until they can be seen by an immigration judge. This legal requirement has placed immense pressure on DHS facilities and has forced the agency to release hundreds of migrants who arrived at the border in recent weeks to the care of private charities.