Skip to content Skip to footer

Trump Reportedly Pushed to Drop Asylum Seekers in Democratic Sanctuary Cities

The White House reportedly considered dropping migrants off in Democratic districts as a supposed “punishment.”

President Trump speaks to the press as he departs the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 5, 2019.

In what critics and rights groups condemned as further evidence that the Trump administration views asylum seekers as mere political pawns rather than vulnerable human beings, the White House reportedly considered dropping migrants off in Democratic districts as a supposed “punishment” for their opposition to the president’s anti-immigrant agenda.

“The extent of this administration’s cynicism and cruelty cannot be overstated,” said Ashley Etienne, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whose district was reportedly floated as a “target” by the White House. “Using human beings — including little children — as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable.”

According to the Washington Post, which first reported on the White House plan late Thursday, “Trump administration officials have proposed transporting detained immigrants to sanctuary cities at least twice in the past six months — once in November, as a migrant caravan approached the U.S. southern border, and again in February, amid a standoff with Democrats over funding for Trump’s border wall.”

Anna Griffin, news director at Oregon Public Broadcasting, pointed out that an “unmentioned irony” of the Trump administration’s cynical ploy is that, if it had been carried out, “folks in Portland and other sanctuary cities would have been very welcoming and probably looked for ways to make their guests feel at home.”

President Donald Trump’s xenophobic senior adviser Stephen Miller — who has been quickly gaining power in the White House amid an ongoing “purge” of immigration staff — spearheaded discussions of the proposal, the Post reported, citing Department of Homeland Security officials and internal administration emails.

“White House officials first broached the plan in a Nov. 16 email, asking officials at several agencies whether members of the caravan could be arrested at the border and then bused ‘to small- and mid-sized sanctuary cities,’ places where local authorities have refused to hand over illegal immigrants for deportation,” according to the Post.

Progressives were appalled by the Trump administration’s proposal, which the White House downplayed as little more than a “suggestion” that was not carried out.

As observers pointed out, the reported ploy lays bare once more the Trump administration’s xenophobic and false view of migrants as dangerous “invaders,” rather than people seeking refuge from violence and persecution in their home countries.

“These are people seeking safety, not political pawns,” tweeted the ACLU.

The stakes have never been higher (and our need for your support has never been greater).

For over two decades, Truthout’s journalists have worked tirelessly to give our readers the news they need to understand and take action in an increasingly complex world. At a time when we should be reaching even more people, big tech has suppressed independent news in their algorithms and drastically reduced our traffic. Less traffic this year has meant a sharp decline in donations.

The fact that you’re reading this message gives us hope for Truthout’s future and the future of democracy. As we cover the news of today and look to the near and distant future we need your help to keep our journalists writing.

Please do what you can today to help us keep working for the coming months and beyond.