Political Theater at the Border
Trump's border wall is a distraction, another act in the long play of immigration enforcement theater.
Within the first week of his presidency, Donald Trump signed an order to build a wall along the US-Mexico border — part of a raft of new policies on immigration, terrorism, crime, and voting that grabbed the public’s attention and sparked widespread condemnation. Around the country, protesters flooded airports and marched in city streets, proclaiming “No Ban, No Wall.”
But while shocking to some — and undoubtedly repugnant — a border wall is entirely in keeping with the style and substance of US immigration policy.
The legal framework enabling Trump to make good on his border wall campaign promise exists thanks to legislation signed by Bill Clinton. His 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act authorized the construction of triple-layered fence along the US-Mexico border. (One section also empowers the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to waive all legal requirements in order to expedite construction.)
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