Immigration crisis under Trump expands

Since the last Trump Watch,  a lot has happened. The Castro Valley Board of Education has publicly denounced President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy regarding immigration in a unanimous resolution on June 28. They called for an end to the policy that separated more than 3,000 children from their parents at the US and Mexico border.

“The resolution was written to document the negative impact of separating children from their family unit. We wanted to state CVUSD’s commitment to the health, welfare, and education of all students,” explained Board of Education President Jo Loss. “It was important to the governance team that we took a public stance on this issue, demonstrating support for our ‘All Means All’ priority.”

Trump’s policy called for the prosecution of all individuals who enter the US illegally, leading to the separation of families. Children were placed in cages that resemble kennels at an animal shelter. The administration boasted that policy has led to an increase of border apprehensions, but facing widespread outrage, Trump ordered an end to it on June 20.

In other Trump news,  the Supreme Court upheld Trump’s travel ban. The travel ban is an executive order issued by Trump to “protect the nation from foreign terrorist entry.” There’s an obvious message that Trump believes immigration and national security are linked. People in Iran, North Korea, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Venezuela are restricted from coming into the U.S. Most of those countries are Muslim-majority. The ruling was 5-4 with Chief John Roberts writing for the conservative majority.

Over the summer, Trump had another big win at the Supreme Court when Justice Anthony Kennedy resigned. Kennedy was a frequent swing voter on the bench for controversial cases and his retirement let Trump appoint Brett Kavanaugh to fill his seat. If he is confirmed, that would give the court five justices appointed by Republicans and a solid conservative majority.