Federalist Senior Correspondent John Daniel Davidson joined NPR’s “On Point” this week to discuss recent shifts in the Trump administration’s immigration policy, including the expansion of expedited deportations, and the agreement reached with Guatemala about asylum.
Host Meghna Chakrabarti asked Davidson about acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli’s comments about deporting illegally present immigrants with final removal orders.
“What Cuccinelli and others within the Trump administration are trying to get at with all of these policy changes…is that the system itself, because of the backlog, has created an incentive for people to seek asylum in the United States, who might not otherwise have valid asylum claims,” he said.
Later in the show, they discuss the recent migrant asylum pact that the United States is looking to enter with Guatemala, and whether it could become a “safe” country for migrants from Honduras and El Salvador.
“The Trump administration is in a position where it can put pressure and leverage on elites in Central America to get serious about tackling corruption, get serious about tackling drug cartels, and organized crime,” Davidson said. “Until that happens, we’re not going to have a long-term solution to the border crisis.”
Listen to the full episode, “Where The Trump Administration’s Immigration Policy Stands Now,” here.
