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 Trumps 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 theyre 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 presidents initiative.
Though Steve Bannon initially overruled Homeland Security and opted to include green card holders in the presidents immigration ban, it is unclear moving forward how the order will be interpreted. The following is according to The New York Times.
The judges ruling blocked part of the presidents 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. Trumps 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 Trumps 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 Trumps 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, theyll 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.
Bannon may have wanted to include Green Card holders because of those traveling abroad for terrorist training and coming back to US as lone wolves.
This ban could put a dent in ISIS ability to recruit.
Agree! I posted this on another thread, but will leave it here too.
I believe we'll all be very glad to have Bannon as President Trump's right hand man.
As far as getting acquainted with him, the NYT (and you know they hate him) actually did a very good biographical piece on him a few months ago. NYT link. Well worth the read.
The Times piece also includes this youtube of Bannon's ten minute speech to the New York Tea Party group in April, 2010. It's well worth the watch: https://youtu.be/Jf_Yj5XxUE0
The conduit through which he received his orders.
Do you have any idea how crazy that is? You would question all green cards issued in the last 16 years? Most of these people are citizens by now.
Today is really quite humorous. MSM broadcasts are full of segments of falsity, fake news, and gobsmacking hypocrisy. Temp Visa restrictions and Temp Refugee ban are two entirely separate issues. Additionally:
♦ President Obama puts six month ban on Iraqi refugees in 2011 and media…. crickets.
♦ President Trump puts 120 day suspension on Syrian refugees 2017… media explodes.♦ Obama selects 7 countries for enhanced visa security policy and media… crickets.
♦ Trump uses Obama law, same Obama DHS policy, and same 7 countries; for a 90-day visa suspension and media explodes.For some reason it just doesn’t appear accidental. This parallel policy of Trump, which is almost identical to Obama policy, is too well constructed to be coincidence. This looks like a strategy and the MSM, along with all Trump opposition, are falling into a trap.
BFL
Libs are in flip out mode, over Bannon. This is probably just more #FakeNews
Here’s their latest meltdown #....
#StopPresidentBannon
Conservatives are having fun with it :)
Pfft. It was an immediate stop.
Very good point! Since when do Green Card Holders have any more than basic rights? They are here as “guests” and MOST should not even really have qualified.
You would question all green cards issued in the last 16 years? Most of these people are citizens by now.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ah, and so you believe their citizenship status gives us assurance that they will not commit terrorist acts? A bit naive, isn’t it?
I reluctantly have to agree with you. I thought this was a big screw up from the time I heard about it and I hope Trump learns something from it.
Too much
Too fast
Too draconian
Too unreasonable
People in the pipeline have gotten hammered unreasonably. They could have done selective screening on the few that came it. To have something and have it taken away is not right. It is similar to welching out on a contract. It is important that we keep our word and our agreements even when we regret them. It is NOT wrong to change the terms of forward agreements. Not wrong at all.
Get out of here.
Surprised some people can get their knuckles off the ground to reach the keyboard. Are there a lot of people like that in your area?
FDR’s non-elected official who had great sway over the president and policy-making.
Alex, who was Harry Hopkins?
KMA. Go to the DU you DUmmy.
What we had was chaos. Pres. Trump is restoring order to this f-ed up chaotic immigration system.
Agree. Banning green card holders and folks on planes was pure amateur hour. It created a cluster-F and (media frenzy) on US soil involving folks with legal standing in the courts. If they had just stopped issuing new documents, the aggrieved would have only been foreigners scattered in foreign countries. No cluster-F, nothing for the media to sink their teeth into.
Yes, totally biased from the jump. I quit at the same paragraph as well:
“is a testament to his influence over Trump.”
Yeah right!
Honey Badger Trump doesn't care!
Don’t underestimate your enemy. Which one is it again?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.