Roundtable Guests:
Max Rivlin-Nadler, KPBS News
Matthew Hall, San Diego Union-Tribune
Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune
Asylum rules change
Hundreds of immigrants arriving in Tijuana and other border crossings this week in hopes of getting into the United States received more bad news. The process of asking for asylum in the U.S. was already extremely difficult, but on Tuesday the Trump administration announced new rules. Now, the new rule says asylum seekers would first have to apply for asylum in a country they've passed through on their way to the United States before applying for asylum here.
Lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrant advocacy groups were swiftly filed in federal courts in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
On Thursday, acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan added another twist by saying the policy is actually just a pilot program and only in effect at two border stations in Texas.
Related: New Asylum Rule Leaves Migrants In Tijuana Confused And Desperate
Trump attacks women of color via Twitter
Donald Trump used Twitter on Sunday to call on four minority Congresswomen who have strongly criticized his immigration policies to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.” He doubled down on the attacks at a rally on Wednesday.
The fact that all four were citizens, and three were born here, did not seem to matter to the president, his spokespeople or his supporters. The Union-Tribune and other mainstream media called his statements textbook racism, and the use of the word “racism” has caused a debate among reporters and editors.
