Trump May Have a Plan for Blocking Migrants

President Trump hasn't built his wall across America's southern border—but as a "caravan" of thousands migrants from Central America moves north through Mexico, he may try to block them with executive orders instead. Insiders tell the Washington Post that the president is considering an executive order that would invoke national security powers to block the migrants from reaching American soil and claiming asylum. The sources say Trump would use the same section of the Immigration and Nationality Act he used in his travel ban to declare the Central Americans ineligible for asylum because allowing their claims would be "contrary to the interests" of the United States.

Any such executive action would face immediate court challenges and "test the bounds of public approval and legality," reports Politico. The Post's sources say Trump, who has called the caravan a "national emergency," has challenged aides to find a solution. "The administration is considering a wide range of administrative, legal, and legislative options to address the Democrat-created crisis of mass illegal immigration," a White House official says. "No decisions have been made at this time. Nor will we forecast to smugglers or caravans what precise strategies will or will not be deployed." (The Pentagon plans to send at least 800 more troops to the border.)