Posted on 01/29/2017 10:30:51 AM PST by drewh
Senior White House adviser and Trump campaign strategist Steve Bannon defied suggestions from Department of Homeland Security lawyers, according to a CNN report, and personally convinced the president to include green card holders in the executive order that placed a travel ban on refugees and immigrants from seven countries in the Middle East.
It is fairly unprecedented for a non-elected official to have such sway over the president and policy-making, but the fact that Steve Bannon personally overruled Homeland Security and their legal interpretation of the order is a testament to his influence over Trump.
Last Friday the president signed his controversial executive order effective immediately, causing chaos at national airports across the country, as hundreds were either barred from boarding flights, detained or sent back to the country they arrived from. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen were the seven countries listed as part of a 90-day freeze on entering the U.S., and a 120-day hold was put on the admission of all refugees. A permanent ban on Syrian refugees was also placed.
Trump Signs Executive order banning travel and immigration from seven countries Steve Bannon defied Homeland Security advice, allowing President Trump’s Executive Order to include green card holders. [Image by Alex Brandon/AP Images] Before Steve Bannon overruled DHS, the document was determined legally by Homeland Security to not include the green card holders. CNN reported the following.
“Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Department of Homeland Security leadership saw the final details shortly before the order was finalized, government officials said.
“Friday night, DHS arrived at the legal interpretation that the executive order restrictions applying to seven countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen — did not apply to people with lawful permanent residence, generally referred to as green card holders.” Though people with long-term or permanent work and travel visas in the U.S., or “green cards” as they’re referred to, are not legally citizens, they are afforded the same rights and protections of due process under the Constitution. The subsequent backlash from the dozens of detentions of legal green card holders and the cry of protesters across the country led Saturday to a Brooklyn Federal Court ruling, partially halting the president’s initiative.
Though Steve Bannon initially overruled Homeland Security and opted to include green card holders in the president’s immigration ban, it is unclear moving forward how the order will be interpreted. The following is according to The New York Times.
“The judge’s ruling blocked part of the president’s actions, preventing the government from deporting some arrivals who found themselves ensnared by the presidential order. But it stopped short of letting them into the country or issuing a broader ruling on the constitutionality of Mr. Trump’s actions.” Moments after the New York Federal Court ruling, a similar protection was made in Virginia District Court, protecting certain people affected at Dulles airport.
Steve Bannon advised Trump to include green card holders in travel ban Protesters at LA International Airport react to Trump’s controversial ban on travel. [Image by Reed Saxon/AP Images] Steve Bannon has been a controversial figure since joining the Trump team during the 2016 campaign. The former editor of Breitbart News, a right-wing publication that he once deemed the “platform for the alt-right,” Bannon, along with pollster Kellyanne Conway, have long been credited with turning Trump’s campaign around and securing his victory. The two have now joined the inner circle of the president as top advisers and strategists.
Steve Bannon ignoring the advice of Homeland Security legal analysts and moving to include green cards has been speculated to either be a blunder due to inexperience or a carefully crafted publicity move. Bannon and the Trump team have proven to be experts at controlling the narrative in the media, the same media that they refer to as “the opposition party.”
In fact, this suspicion was first mused by Kevin Drum of Mother Jones. He interprets Steve Bannon having overruled Homeland Security as “malice.” He reported the following.
“In cases like this, the smart money is usually on incompetence, not malice. But this looks more like deliberate malice to me. Bannon wanted turmoil and condemnation. He wanted this executive order to get as much publicity as possible. He wanted the ACLU involved. He thinks this will be a PR win.
“Liberals think the same thing. All the protests, the court judgments, the press coverage: this is something that will make middle America understand just what Trump is really all about. And once they figure it out, they’ll turn on him.” Whether the order will be deemed unconstitutional remains to be seen, but Steve Bannon has proven to be even more influential and powerful now that he works in the Oval Office.
Exactly! If Bannon wanted a wedge issue here, he got it and he/we are on the right side of that.
All that said....this is good policy. For now. Until we figure out who the hell has those green cards, we are better off not letting them back in if they are coming from those places.
Obama made Presidential “findings” regarding immigration and citizenship for people from the Middle East. Hopefully, President Trump will soon cancel those findings.
LMAO! One week and the coastal elite libbies think the rust belt is gonna turn on POTUS bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahaaa!
Yes -- that was an oversight and a mistake. The EO should take effect at a certain time and only control people attempting to get on a plane after the designated time. Of course we are only talking about 200 people. They should have let those 200 people already in transit come in, screen them good and evaluate them one by one and that would have ended it. I think that might be what they are doing now anyway. 200 people. Much ado about nothing but that's how the dems operate.
I agree. This was done clumsily and will be talked about for years. Keep the restrictions, yes, but be more considerate during the next step. Plus, we now have rebel-judges making a name for themselves through opposition. Whoever planned this needs to have their authority reduced for a good while.
“It is fairly unprecedented for a non-elected official to have such sway over the president and policy-making”
I’ll take Valerie Jarret for $1,000.00, Alex.
L
I read this as an assault on Bannon whom seems to be the nemesis of the leftist journo World. Means nothing.
Book bombshell: Obama canceled Bin Laden ‘kill’ raid three times at Jarrett’s urging
“It is fairly unprecedented for a non-elected official to have such sway over the president and policy-making, but the fact that Steve Bannon personally overruled Homeland Security and their legal interpretation of the order is a testament to his influence over Trump. “
This is the dumbest sentence. Of course, non-elected officials have sway over every President. Chief of Staff is a non-elected official. In fact so is the cabinet. But lets say that the cabinet is vetted by the senate. You still have the likes of Valerie Jarrett, Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod. How about Nancy Reagan or Hillary? This is one of the stupidest things they have ever published.
Correct. Whoever made the decision to include green card holders and visa holders already in transit blundered big time. Ultimately the blame falls to Trump. This was an unforced error.
http://nypost.com/2012/02/26/one-hour-and-260-can-get-you-phony-green-card-soc-security-and-license/
Makes Total Sense, because Hussein's regime passed them out as fast as they could.
BTW, someone should REMIND those lib judges that are allowing visa holders to come on through, that the 9-11 hijackers were here on visas.
Two words.
Valerie Jarrett
Too funny....what was val Jarret ?....also implying that President Trump is easily swayed...what a crock....This is better than I imagined...seeing moonbats spaz out over legal actions being taken...I love this!
Blanks.
Interesting article about Bannon’s strong defense of Judeo-Christian Capitalism from a speech he gave at the Vatican in 2014.
Anyone paying even scant attention now knows that Trump means business.
I, for one, do not trust the vetting of anyone that received a green card in the last eight years or possibly the last 16.
A few muzzies may get their butt turbans in a bunch but that's just a bonus.
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