Trump’s Own DHS Secretary Tells Him That New ICE Raids Will Separate More Families

Donald Trump is standing by his plans to target big cities this weekend in an operation that could deport as many as 2,000 immigrant families.

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But it’s not just Democrats who are opposed to the extreme immigration stunt. Trump’s own acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, has reportedly told the president that he doesn’t support the operation.

According to The Washington Post, “Acting DHS secretary Kevin McAleenan has been urging ICE, an agency within his department, to conduct a narrower, more targeted operation,” instead of the widespread raids on which Trump has now doubled down.

More from The Washington Post:

McAleenan has warned that an indiscriminate operation to arrest migrants in their homes and at work sites risks separating children from their parents in cases where the children are at day care, summer camp or friend’s houses. He also has maintained that ICE should not devote major resources to carrying out a mass interior sweep while telling lawmakers it needs emergency funding to address the crisis at the U.S. border.

…

Officials say McAleenan does not oppose ICE interior enforcement against families with deportation orders, but he wants a more limited approach that averts a repeat of “zero tolerance.”

Trump is now blowing off his own DHS secretary

Trump appears to be blowing off acting DHS secretary McAleenan for showing even the slightest reluctance to support this weekend’s extreme ICE raids.

According to The Post, “The White House has been in direct communication with acting ICE director Mark Morgan and other ICE officials, circumventing McAleenan, three officials said.”

Typically, a president of the United States appoints experts to key positions – including Secretary of Homeland Security – so they can provide guidance and prevent him from enacting poor policy.

In Trump’s case, if an adviser or member of his cabinet expresses an opposing view about a potentially disastrous and inhumane decision, he doesn’t listen to them. He simply sidelines them.

The president’s inhumane new immigration operation is not about protecting the country or enacting smart policy. If it was, then he would listen to the members of his administration, like the DHS secretary, who are trying to hit the brakes on it.

Like always, Donald Trump only cares about riling up his base, even if that means ripping thousands of families apart.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.