California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said that they were suing President Trump to stop him from unilaterally robbing taxpayer funds lawfully set aside by Congress for the US people, adding that the office of the presidency is not a place for theatre.
Meanwhile, thousands of migrants on the US-Mexican border have begun turning back. They had arrived from Central America in massive, organised caravans earlier, refusing Mexican offers for refugee status. According to the New York Times, the new regulations at the border mean that there are tight limits on the number of people who can apply for asylum each day, as well as heightened standards for qualification.
He added that when the migrants realised that it was hard to cross and the conditions in Mexico were also difficult, among many factors, they decided to return home. Meanwhile, on 11 February, US Border patrol agents apprehended some 1,800 parents and children who'd crossed the US border illegally — the highest recorded number on a single day. On Friday, US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in order to divert funds to the construction of a wall on the border.
Radio Sputnik discussed the lawsuit against US President Donald Trump with Wayne Dupree, a US-based political analyst and former board member of the National Diversity Coalition for Donald Trump.
Sputnik: What is your take on the lawsuit filed by these 16 states against what they allege is President Trump's "misuse of presidential power"? I mean it is just amazing, the news that comes out of America every day with regard to the indignation towards the president, it is unbelievable. What is your take on it?
Wayne Dupree: Well, the resistance is real. They do not want President Trump to have any victories to be re-elected, basically to show America that things are moving in the right direction for all Americans, which was his goal in the first place. But it's hard to believe that he has been met with this resistance to making America better than it was before. I mean, it boggles the mind.
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Sputnik: Well, absolutely. Now, Donald Trump earlier said that he is likely to win if the case goes to the Supreme Court. Do you think that this is likely to happen? Why is he so confident about his victory?
The interesting thing that I find about Donald Trump is that he is obviously getting this barrage of attacks consistently every day, every week. But he counteracts that with as much good news when he is releasing information about the unemployment figures, returning of quality of life issues, wins and gains domestically within the USA and also always trying to achieve it globally. But as a human being, he must get so tired with this constant barrage against him. What is your feeling about it?
Sputnik: Well, absolutely you are articulating it very well but we are living in very interesting times in terms of this neo-liberal strategy and policy that governs the United States and then that is like a rock, it just seems as though it is immovable. And as you say he is very, very robust and he deflects this constant criticism that comes his way that he is not in sync with the liberal policy that the United States is driven by.
And it is absolutely mind-boggling for the rest of the world when we look on and we see whether you agree with these policies internally-externally and just day-to-day deflection he goes through, and this constant barrage that we are talking about.
How do US taxpayers benefit then from President Trump's emergency declaration with regard to the funding of the wall? How will their interests be affected? From your point of view, is this a good thing that he is being so adamant that this wall or this iron fencing must be put up? Do you think it is going to be beneficial or should the US government be focusing on more internal things?
Wayne Dupree: Right now the way it is, if you look at the fences, the fences have been deteriorating for a long time. They have not been kept up. They have not been maintained. You hear of people climbing over the edge. You hear of people digging tunnels under the fence. Over a month ago, you had 379 [aliens] that walked through a tunnel underneath the border fence. 200 out of the 379 were miners; they just walked under.
There is a point that if you go to the end of the wall, yes, there is an end to the wall, there is nothing else past the end of the wall. You can just walk around the wall and then you are in the United States of America. So, you know, drug traffickers, child traffickers, drug smugglers…you have illegal aliens trying to get in and they are trying to do it the wrong way.
And for us as Americans, well, for most of us, we just want some… look, just follow the law. You want to come in here? You want to have a part of the American dream? You want to be part of the United States? Come in here, go through the process, pledge allegiance to the country and help make the country better. These people don't have any allegiance to anything and that's why they are coming in and trying to change everything.
The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
