The Trump / Russia Controversy

[saltmummy]

*yawn*

[Claeyt]

Trump's administration plans on calling up 100,000 National Guard members around the country for "Deportation Force" revealed in leaked memo within the last hour. The White House denies it and calls it "fake news" before being confronted with the entire memo.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/ ... force.html

[Kuddie]

Trump's plans on calling up 100,000 National Guard members around the country for "Deportation Force" revealed in leaked memo within the last hour. The White House denies it and calls it "fake news" before being confronted with the entire memo.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/ ... force.html

Random "news" website claims random "facts".

[Claeyt]

Trump's plans on calling up 100,000 National Guard members around the country for "Deportation Force" revealed in leaked memo within the last hour. The White House denies it and calls it "fake news" before being confronted with the entire memo.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/ ... force.html

Random "news" website claims random "facts".

Why are you calling the AP a random news site.

Here's the original article which is linked in the Slate article.

https://apnews.com/5508111d59554a33be8001bdac4ef830

I just posted the Slate article because it included both the AP article AND the white house lies about the memo from Spicer.

[TotalyMeow]

Did you read the memo? It doesn't say what you think it says.

Edit: So, the memo is 11 pages long and quite boring to actually read so here's a summary if anyone is interested:

A. Policies Regarding the Apprehension and Detention of Aliens Described in Section 235 of the INA.
Detaining aliens at the border before they can illegally enter is a good thing. We should stop ignoring this law and put more effort into stopping people from crossing our border.

B. Hiring More Border Patrol Agents
There aren't enough of them to do the job properly, we should hire 5000 more.

C. Identifying and Quantifying Sources of Aid to Mexico
We're providing a lot of aid to Mexico, but no is sure quite how much. The Undersecretary of Management will compile a report within 30 days.

D. Expansion of the 287g Program to Include State Guard Units in the Border Region

287g of INA allows qualified officers or employees of the state or political subdivision to be authorized to perform the law enforcement functions of section 287a of the INA (immigration law enforcement). This authority has been given to state and local law enforcement in the past and had worked well. As we are prioritizing the removal of illegal immigrants arrested for other criminal acts, such authority should again be given to the state and local law enforcement where they are willing to participate.

And here's the part the entire article was based on, direct quote: "I am directing the Commissioner of CBP and the Director of ICE to immediately engage with the Governors of the States adjacent to the land border with Mexico and those states adjoining such border States for the purpose of entering into agreements under section 287g of the INA to authorize qualified members of the State National Guard, while such members are not in federal service, or qualified members of a state militia or state defense force under the command of the Governor, to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension, and detention of aliens in the United States."

So, this is offering the Governors of States the opportunity to use the National Guard or other state defense as immigration officers where they think that is needed. See, the federal government has to make them the offer of the authority to do that. The law doesn't allow them that authority otherwise. That's why the memo also mentions offering that authority to local law enforcement earlier in the section.

E. Commissioning a Comprehensive Study of Border Security
The last one was done over 20 years ago. Time to commission a new study.

F. Border Wall Construction and Funding
Congress already previously ordered the building of a wall. A study will be done of what sort of wall would be most effective and the cost involved and a budget should be drawn up and sent to Congress for its construction.

G. Expanding Expedited Removal Persuant to Section blah of the INA.
A surge in illegal immigration has overwhelmed federal agencies and resources such that many are released after capture to disappear and never attend their immigration hearings. The current backlog of hearings is furthermore at record highs and some cases won't be heard for more than 5 years. Therefore, expedited hearings will be held for all new illegal aliens caught entering the US.

H. Implementing Provisions of Section blah of the INA Return Arriving Aliens to Contiguous Countries
New illegal aliens apprehended in the US will be returned whence they came to await their hearings rather than being held in the US where there just isn't room in the detention facilities.

I. Restoring Integrity to Asylum Referrals and Credible Fear Determination
Those claiming asylum or credible fear will no longer just be released into the US as if 'asylum' were a secret password. Interviews to determine if there really is a reason for asylum or fear of persecution will be held more carefully and legitimately.

J. Allocation of Resources and Personnel to the Southern Border for Detention of Aliens and Adjudication of Claims
Detention and adjudication facilities will be relocated to be closer to the border in order to facilitate quicker processing and less cost of transport.

K. Proper Use of Parole Authority
Parole is meant to be a rare authority exercised on a case by case basis. Lately, it has been used as a blanket authority for releasing aliens who should not have been released, thus creating immigration programs not authorized by Congress. This has undermined the integrity of immigration laws and of the parole process. Therefore, until parole authority can be defined with more clarity, its use will be drastically reduced.

L. Proper Processing and Treatment of Unaccompanied Minors Encountered at the Border
A section detailing how minors should receive special protections and care.

M. Prioritizing Criminal Prosecutions of Immigration Offenses Commited at the Border
Emphasis will put on stopping the border crossings of drug cartels and people performing illegal human trafficking. Currently, human trafficking is especially egregious as many children are being smuggled into the US and while en route, they are being physically and sexually abused. Stopping these criminal elements will reduce these acts of violence.

N. Public Reporting of Border Apprehensions Data
There is currently no public report being issued on border apprehensions. In the interests of transparency, a standard will be drafted, statistics compiled, and a comprehensive and easily understandable report will be made available to the public in a readily accessed medium.

Personally, I think it's a pretty good policy memo, and it should be sent out.

[Dallane]

Did you read the memo? It doesn't say what you think it says.

He clearly didn't read it at all. The 1st 2 paragraphs break his narrative

[Claeyt]

James Comey just met this afternoon in the "SCIF room" in the U.S. capital (ultra secure intel room) for 3 hours with Senate Intel Committee members to brief them on what's about to happen in the ongoing counter-intelligence investigation concerning connections between the Trump campaign and Russian Intelligence.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-secu ... sia-uproar

Personally, I think it's a pretty good policy memo, and it should be sent out.

While Congress has wanted to add money for a "Border Wall" it has not been passed in any budget. I have no doubt it will now.

This order does 2 things extremely disturbing (and many things somewhat disturbing):

1. It militarizes the border states with the call up of State National Guard units. It doesn't federalize them (yet) so I have zero idea how California would follow this. It includes the border states but also neighboring states of border states and some other Southern states with coast line.

2. It also includes deep within it a ROE for that militarization of border agents and the national guard. This will possibly lead to a 'shoot if they run' scenario and will lead to deaths on the border.

It's important to note that this has only reached the level of Trump's hand picked head of ICE and not been distributed to all of Homeland Security and it would probably require Congressional budgeting and approval.

These changes are not good.

[Dallane]

"SCIF room" in the U.S. capital (ultra secure intel room)

Do you have any idea how many SCIFs there are out there? That skif is no different than the THOUSANDS in this country and across the world.

The Intelligence panel’s chairman, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), called the meeting “just a normal classified briefing.”

Start reading the articles you post or I'm going to classify them as derailing.

[Claeyt]

New information on the National Guard Deportation force memo that was leaked today:

Some news sources are reporting that Senior adviser Stephen Miller and Trump's ICE head who was sworn in on January 20'th put the memo together as a possible scenario for the future.

The Independent is reporting that the memo has been seen by the DHS but possibly not by the secretary General Kelly, contrary to what Spicer said earlier today. None of the governors of the 8 states have been contacted and have not heard anything about it.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 86271.html

[TotalyMeow]

This order does 2 things extremely disturbing (and many things somewhat disturbing):

1. It militarizes the border states with the call up of State National Guard units. It doesn't federalize them (yet) so I have zero idea how California would follow this. It includes the border states but also neighboring states of border states and some other Southern states with coast line.

2. It also includes deep within it a ROE for that militarization of border agents and the national guard. This will possibly lead to a 'shoot if they run' scenario and will lead to deaths on the border.

No, it doesn't do either of these things. Go read it. Or at least go read the summary I made, I put the relevant paragraph in as a direct quote. California will probably not do anything, considering their idiotic attitude, as the memo is an offer of authority to help enforce laws they have no interest in enforcing.

The Independent is reporting that the memo has been seen by the DHS but possibly not by the secretary General Kelly, contrary to what Spicer said earlier today. None of the governors of the 8 states have been contacted and have not heard anything about it.

If it's a draft of a memo that hasn't been sent out yet... then no one was supposed to see it yet, because it's a draft.

Edit: So, according to Reuters, the draft was prepared by DHS staff FOR Kelly and that part about the National Guard was removed before it was even sent to Kelly. Even the AP has changed their story now to reflect that (and I see they don't mention that change). So, you're here getting all in a tizzy over something that has never even been considered by anyone other than some lower level managers putting together a theoretical document. Just more evidence of how foolish and counterproductive these White House leaks are, and how stupid the media is in doing absolutely no due diligence before publishing. And I'll just mention here that there's also no mention of the number 100k or any other number in that memo, since it looks like you're not going to read it yourself.