The campaign for U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris voiced serious concerns on Tuesday about the potential dangers of a second term under former President Donald Trump. They highlighted his recent remarks to Latino leaders, where he declared his intent to use “extreme power” to seal the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n
During discussions, Trump expressed his disapproval of a bipartisan border security bill that was proposed earlier this year. He influenced Congressional Republicans to oppose the bill, labeling it “phony” and asserting it was unnecessary for controlling immigration through the southern border.<\/p>\n
Trump boldly stated that a president has the authority to close borders on their own accord.<\/p>\n
“That bill was terrible, a complete nonsense,” Trump commented. “This is about extreme power. With extreme power, you just order ‘Close the border,’ and it’s done. Simple as that.”<\/p>\n
While Trump vows to wield presidential powers to shut down the border, Harris has advocated for the passage of the bipartisan bill. This legislation aims to increase the capacity for detaining migrants, impose stricter asylum standards, and permit the president to close the border under specific conditions if undocumented crossings escalate. However, Republicans have dismissed the bill, claiming it would exacerbate the already dire “border catastrophe.”<\/p>\n
Human rights groups have urged Democrats to advocate for adequate funding to process asylum applications, provide support for unaccompanied minors, offer international aid to mitigate forced migration, and implement other humane and effective solutions.<\/p>\n
Charles Idelson from National Nurses United criticized Trump’s promise to use “extreme power” to close the border, arguing that it represents a constitutional upheaval supported by the Supreme Court\u2019s recent decisions.<\/p>\n
“A second Trump term poses too big a risk for America to take.”<\/p>\n
This summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a president has “absolute immunity” for actions taken while in office, in a case that involved Trump.<\/p>\n
Trump has previously stated that if reelected, his dictatorial control would be exercised from “Day One” of his second term to unilaterally close the southern border and boost fossil fuel extraction.<\/p>\n
According to Matt Corridoni, spokesperson for the Harris campaign, “A second term for Trump, who is unstable and unpredictable, poses a severe threat. He plans to cleanse the government of dedicated public servants and fill their positions with loyalists who would assist him in exploiting ‘extreme power.’ This could potentially harm the lives and freedoms of American citizens, whom he regards as internal enemies.”<\/p>\n\n\n