Trump Signs Executive Order Calling for Construction of Mexico Border Wall to Begin, and This Is Not Normal

Hey, brace yourselves: it’s another bit of Trump news.

Okay, “bit” might be an understatement, but considering the deluge of controversial executive orders that have come out of the White House as of late, it certainly feels like one part of a much wider, darker whole.

President Trump recently signed an executive order that calls for the construction of the infamous Mexico Border Wall to begin. In addition to that, he signed another order that takes away federal grant money from so-called “sanctuary cities” which are cities that are often left-leaning and are known to house illegal immigrants.

These two orders are some of Trump’s more controversial campaign promises, though the follow-through seems to be a bit (there’s that word again) of a mess. After the signing, Trump said that Mexico would pay the U.S. back for 100% of the costs, and that the government would “be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we make from Mexico.” The tiny bit of handwaving regarding payment flies in the face of the fact that the Mexican government has already said that there’s no way they’re paying for anything.

So, of course, who’s going to pay for it? Taxpayers, of course!

Earlier this month, former Mexican president Vicente Fox Quesada tweeted as much at then-President-elect Trump, writing:

Trump continued his handwaving today, explaining, “I’m just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form. What I’m doing is good for the United States. It’s also going to be good for Mexico. We want to have a very stable, very solid Mexico.” The incredibly insulting suggestion that the wall is going to be good for them (and that we know what’s good for Mexico at all) aside, Trump’s excuse for funding remains, as ever, as clear as mud.

The second order stripping grant money from sanctuary states and cities is another threat made during Trump’s campaign, which was directed at those cities who dared to speak out against him and his hateful, isolationist rhetoric. The order specifically states that cities defined as sanctuary cities would no longer be “eligible to receive Federal grants, except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes by the Attorney General or the Secretary.”

Unfortunately, the definition of what makes a city a sanctuary city remains unclear, though many states and cities have already come out to identify themselves as such. California is one of those states, and its governor, Jerry Brown, issued a statement to Trump, doubling down on California’s progressive stance on policy. Despite knowing that federal law regarding immigration would overrule California state law, Governor Brown said, “We may be called to defend those laws, and defend them we will.”

These orders are hardly the last we’ll see of the White House’s rapidly devolving stance on immigration. The administration is expected to begin drafting orders to limit or otherwise ban immigration for Muslim people, barring entry from certain countries, like Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya, and Yemen. Immigrants from those countries (and many more) whose visas are expiring soon may also find their livelihoods in jeopardy as this order also blocks extension or renewal of visas.

The isolationist stance taken by Trump and his administration has already begun to alienate allies, as recent reports indicate that they are now drafting orders that limit or remove the U.S.’ involvement in the United Nations.

The issuance of these orders and the many egregiously horrifying ones before leave me to wonder: so just where is the line going to be? What’s the issue that’s going to actually wake people up to how destructive and deadly Trump and his administration are?

Does such a line even exist?

(via Al Jazeera)

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Jessica Lachenal

Jessica Lachenal is a writer who doesn’t talk about herself a lot, so she isn’t quite sure how biographical info panels should work. But here we go anyway. She's the Weekend Editor for The Mary Sue, a Contributing Writer for The Bold Italic (thebolditalic.com), and a Staff Writer for Spinning Platters (spinningplatters.com). She's also been featured in Model View Culture and Frontiers LA magazine, and on Autostraddle. She hopes this has been as awkward for you as it has been for her.

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