These are my takeaways. Note that a lot of this was taken from a friend who is a West Point and LSE graduate, and served in Afghanistan.
I have never agreed with the general idea. You all likely know that. Trump won, so he gets to do it. I think he has the Constitutional grounds to do so.
The purpose of this thread is to debate the rollout of the EO, its effect, and what could and should have been done differently.
1. Is Trump's EO/immigration policy a part of a broader security strategy? Many people are citing national security concerns in supporting the executive order on immigration. I am also concerned about the societal whiplash we will experience if and when a “refugee” carries out an attack on U.S. soil. It will be only too easy for people to run scared back to their well-entrenched ideological positions...especially considering the occurrence of refugee violence would still be minuscule compared to the amount of "good" refugees we have taken in and our country's long-standing tradition and values of inclusion.
Still, I am convinced that President Trump’s executive order on immigration will in no way make us safer. In fact, I believe it will only do further damage. What will be the impacts upon our current efforts in places like Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere? Will this act complement our efforts? What will be the reaction among our allies?
If we feel a sense of urgency about implementing these restrictions, what intelligence has led us to this conclusion?
From where are the biggest threats originating? Were there really no credible threats coming out of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia?
I am not convinced that Mr. Trump or his closest advisors even considered these types of questions.
2. Coordinate your efforts. Where was the interagency coordination? When asked, administration officials have responded that they had to act quickly, otherwise the bad dudes would have enjoyed essentially a grace period to enter the U.S., knowing that restrictions were on the way. I don’t buy this. If administration officials cannot manage information and practice operational security, then they have no business serving. Several reputable media outlets (not an oxymoron, regardless of what the President thinks) are reporting that Secretary Kelly’s (DHS) staff did not have any opportunity to comment on the President’s executive order on immigration prior to him signing it, despite the fact that they would have to be the ones to implement it. My biggest concern was not that people were “inconvenienced” (to use Sean Spicer’s word); rather, it was that our President demonstrated how poorly he understands the workings of a vast government bureaucracy. He is not running a private company. Orders need coordination down the lowest level possible so that each Customs and Border Patrol agent understands how he or she is supposed to enforce the policy. That clearly did not happen. This is a basic tenet of organizational leadership.
I have never agreed with the general idea. You all likely know that. Trump won, so he gets to do it. I think he has the Constitutional grounds to do so.
The purpose of this thread is to debate the rollout of the EO, its effect, and what could and should have been done differently.
1. Is Trump's EO/immigration policy a part of a broader security strategy? Many people are citing national security concerns in supporting the executive order on immigration. I am also concerned about the societal whiplash we will experience if and when a “refugee” carries out an attack on U.S. soil. It will be only too easy for people to run scared back to their well-entrenched ideological positions...especially considering the occurrence of refugee violence would still be minuscule compared to the amount of "good" refugees we have taken in and our country's long-standing tradition and values of inclusion.
Still, I am convinced that President Trump’s executive order on immigration will in no way make us safer. In fact, I believe it will only do further damage. What will be the impacts upon our current efforts in places like Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere? Will this act complement our efforts? What will be the reaction among our allies?
If we feel a sense of urgency about implementing these restrictions, what intelligence has led us to this conclusion?
From where are the biggest threats originating? Were there really no credible threats coming out of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia?
I am not convinced that Mr. Trump or his closest advisors even considered these types of questions.
2. Coordinate your efforts. Where was the interagency coordination? When asked, administration officials have responded that they had to act quickly, otherwise the bad dudes would have enjoyed essentially a grace period to enter the U.S., knowing that restrictions were on the way. I don’t buy this. If administration officials cannot manage information and practice operational security, then they have no business serving. Several reputable media outlets (not an oxymoron, regardless of what the President thinks) are reporting that Secretary Kelly’s (DHS) staff did not have any opportunity to comment on the President’s executive order on immigration prior to him signing it, despite the fact that they would have to be the ones to implement it. My biggest concern was not that people were “inconvenienced” (to use Sean Spicer’s word); rather, it was that our President demonstrated how poorly he understands the workings of a vast government bureaucracy. He is not running a private company. Orders need coordination down the lowest level possible so that each Customs and Border Patrol agent understands how he or she is supposed to enforce the policy. That clearly did not happen. This is a basic tenet of organizational leadership.
