Trump pledges asylum crackdown, tent cities; is it legal
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Thursday he plans to sign an order next week that could lead to the large-scale detention of migrants crossing the southern border and bar anyone caught crossing illegally from claiming asylum — two legally dubious proposals that mark his latest election-season barrage against illegal immigration.
“This is an invasion,” Trump declared as he has previously on a subject that has been shown to resonate strongly with his base of Republican supporters. He made his comments at the White House in a speech that was billed as a response to groups of migrants currently walking toward the U.S. border.
U.S. immigration laws make clear that migrants seeking asylum may do so either at or between border crossings.