Often, public debate on the topic of immigration reverts back to a discussion of “doing things the right way.” As a litigator, I have sued every President since George W. Bush for failing to do things the right way. During President Donald Trump’s first term, I successfully challenged his attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. However, I’ve never seen a disregard for the rule of law comparable to the one on display today. 

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Trump has long claimed that his immigration crackdown is focused on undocumented migrants—those who, the his eyes, did not come to this country “the right way.” But in practice, the Trump Administration is shutting the doors to the few lawful pathways that do exist for migrants at lightning speed. As a result, we could be left with a system that is even more dysfunctional and cruel than it is today and in which there is no “right way” to come to the United States.

Trump campaigned on a platform of “mass deportation,” which in theory may have meant only those who already had undocumented status would be swept up for removal. The reality, however, is that even those who entered under lawful channels are not safe from detention, deportation, or even foreign imprisonment. Indeed, the President recently said he is in “all for” sending American citizens to foreign prisons.

The false premise that mass deportation would only target those already with an undocumented status has helped grease the wheels for sweeping abductions of individuals and families who have been living peacefully and working hard in communities across the country. But it has also paved the way for attacking immigrants who are trying to follow U.S. immigration laws in the hope of securing legal protections.

The Trump Administration has rarely attempted to do things the “right way,” despite their harsh law and order messaging.........

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