Trump stumbles in attempts to thwart migrant caravan

[DonViejo]

A court ruling and uncertainty about his border deployment both show the limits of the president's authority.

By IAN KULLGREN 11/20/2018 02:26 PM EST

President Donald Trump is rapidly running into the limits of his power to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S.-Mexican border.

A federal judge made that clear late Monday by blocking the president’s attempt to restrict asylum-seekers at the border. And Trump’s own military commanders reinforced the point Tuesday with yet another round of uncertainty about the 5,800 active-duty troops they sent to the border region shortly before the midterm election, retreating from a day-old estimate that they could begin returning home this week.

Meanwhile, the caravans of thousands of Central Americans continue moving north through Mexico — unblocked by either Trump’s Nov. 9 asylum proclamation or the deployments of U.S. troops whose main duties have included placing concertina wire and other barriers at ports of entry. So far, the Pentagon has resisted requests from the Department of Homeland Security that troops go beyond that mission by providing an armed backup to Border Patrol agents.

And that means Trump may soon be out of options for impeding the recurring migrant caravans that he has proclaimed a national security threat — in what Democrats and some retired commanders have called an attempt to boost GOP election turnout.

“Are there any other legal gimmicks that they can pursue? No,” said John Sandweg, who was DHS’ acting general counsel during President Barack Obama’s administration.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/20/trump-migrant-caravan-border-985985