After Congress Refuses to Fund Border Wall to His Liking, President Trump Attempts End Run Around Constitution

WASHINGTON, DC - As Congress completed work on an appropriations bill funding the federal government for the rest of Fiscal Year 2019, the president took steps to declare a national emergency to get funds for a border wall.

AILA President Anastasia Tonello stated, "For weeks, President Trump has flirted with the idea that he could unilaterally allocate funds to build an unnecessary border wall by declaring a national emergency. Every day that passed undermined the argument that in fact a true national emergency situation exists. And now, with Congress having decided not to fund a border wall, the president attempts an end run around the separation of powers delineated in the Constitution. Policymakers and opinion leaders across the political spectrum have expressed strong concerns about this move; we urge both parties to work together to stop this."

AILA President-elect Marketa Lindt added, "Border apprehensions are around a forty-year low. And even though there is currently an uptick in the number of asylum seekers arriving to flee violence in Central America, those numbers are still low compared to historic rates. The statements of the Administration and members of Congress over the past few months relating to the ongoing budget negotiations over funding for a wall make clear that this is all about politics. It is time to stop using asylum seekers as pawns in the political battles in Washington, DC. Our government needs to begin to do the hard work of developing meaningful solutions to our country's immigration issues."

Related Resources

• Presidential Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States
• Washington Post: House passes resolution to nullify Trump’s national emergency declaration – February 26, 2019