1 During Donald Trump’s inaugural address on Monday, he declared a national emergency at the southern border. On the first day back in office, Trump signed a number of executive orders on immigration that seek to end birthright citizenship and use military resources for Trump’s border policies. “This is a massive abuse of emergency power,” says Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. “These emergency powers are intended to address sudden, unexpected crises … that are moving too quickly for Congress to be able to address. That is not unlawful immigration at the border. It is not sudden or unexpected, and it is something that Congress can and should be addressing through comprehensive immigration reform.”
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