The Washington political establishment is now openly expressing its rage that President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is focusing attention on immigration.
In a piece by the New York Times’ Ron Nixon, the political reporter propped up a slew of Washington establishment figures from previous administrations to set a tone that Trump’s work on ending illegal immigration is opposed by Americans.
The “critics” quoted by the Times, who are actually former Obama and Bush officials, say Trump’s priority of stopping illegal border crossings and prosecuting illegal immigrant crimes is “single-minded”:
The address in January, critics said, reflected the president’s nearly single-minded priority for the Department of Homeland Security, which employs nearly 250,000 people in seven agencies.
“It’s all immigration, it’s the wall and it’s enforcement,” said Juliette Kayyem, a Homeland Security official in the Obama administration. “Nothing about FEMA or cyber or counterintelligence,” she added, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Just immigration all the time.”
After allowing the Trump Administration to defend itself against the false attack, where they correctly noted Trump’s appointment to head up FEMA, Brock Long, has a resume of expertise in emergency management, the New York Times used a former Bush official to attack the administration:
Illegal immigration was the centerpiece of Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, drawing large crowds as he promised to build a border wall and deport millions in the country illegally. But security experts said the country faces a number of continuing threats ranging from domestic terrorists to attacks from political extremists and cyberattacks against the nation’s election systems that demand the full attention of the Department of Homeland Security.
“John Kelly and his staff have a wide portfolio,” said Tom Ridge, who served as the first Homeland Security secretary, under President George W. Bush. “I hope the White House realizes that they have an enormous job in protecting the border and the nation’s infrastructure from cyberattacks. They can’t be used just to keep campaign promises.”
The Times also used Rep. Kamala Harris (D-CA) to slam the Trump Administration’s pro-American policy initiatives on immigration.
“During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Kelly came across as this person who would be a moderating voice in the Trump administration, someone who would speak truth to power,” Harris told the New York paper. “But that’s not what we’re seeing from him as secretary of Homeland Security. Under him, this agency has seemed eager to carry out the destructive immigration policies of this administration.”
Former Obama official Leon Panetta, on the other hand, told the Times that he doubts believe DHS Secretary Kelly’s support for Trump’s crackdown.
“John Kelly is being a good Marine,” Panetta said. “He was loyal to me, and he’s loyal to his commander in chief. I don’t think some of the things the department is doing reflect the views of John Kelly.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.