Trump didn’t declare a national emergency last night and the powers that go along with it, but the logic of what he said and the particularities of the government shutdown make such a declaration very possible. Not only is this wrong on its face; there is no crisis on the border, except for the mistreatment of immigrant families and children.
What is more, it would set a dangerous precedent for Trump to exploit going forward as he gets more and more entangled in legal and political challenges to his presidency.
Don’t buy the idea that because it would end the government shutdown, it’s not the worse thing. It may do that, but in doing so it would open up a very dangerous cans of worms at the border immediately and elsewhere in the not too distant future as well as deeply scar our movement.
