I told you about the Trump admin suspending several identification programs due to the state of New York’s illegal alien driver’s license policies. This has, as expected, driven Democrats nuttier
In suspending Global Entry, a spiteful Trump makes us all less safe
Ninety seconds. That’s my record for getting through border controls at John F. Kennedy International Airport, armed with my Global Entry card. Customs took an additional two minutes (Global Entry card holders have their own line). This streamlined processing by the Trusted Traveler program allowed me to plan same-day business, rather than spend hours in line.
The Trump administration’s suspension of Global Entry, NEXUS and other Trusted Traveler programs for residents of New York state, announced Wednesday by Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, will change all that. According to Wolf, new enrollments and re-enrollments for the service that costs $100 every five years are no longer possible, although current card holders can in theory continue to participate in the program until their special status expires.
While the official reason Wolf gave for the move was national security, in reality an authoritarian cocktail of spite, corruption and racism drives this decision — one that will make America less secure and less efficient.
I love how all these unhinged fools like throwing around terms like authoritarian. If he was, Ruth Ben-Ghiat wouldn’t be able to write this screed.
Every autocrat has an obsession, and one of President Donald Trump’s is targeting immigrants as part of a crusade to rally his base and keep America a majority-white and Christian territory. His Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is targeting New York state because of its Green Light Law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers’ licenses and forbids government officials from turning over Department of Motor Vehicles records to federal officials.
Here’s an idea: don’t give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, especially in the manner New York is engaged in.
Revoking Global Entry has less to do with security than with the latest retaliation by Trump against a state that contains New York City, a place he felt has never really accepted him. More precisely, the New York City area, home to two busy international airports, Newark and JFK, is now a sanctuary for immigrants — and to a state attorney general’s office that under Barbara Underwood and now Letitia James has investigated him for alleged corruption and forced him to dissolve his Trump Foundation for what Underwood said was a “shocking pattern” of illegal behaviors.
What does Trump really want to obtain with this power play? As always with authoritarians, the people and businesses that will lose time needlessly are just his pawns. His real targets are New York City and state politicians who have defied him: he hopes to make them unpopular and put pressure on them to renounce sanctuary cities, investigations and other measures that stand in the way of his personal and ideological goals. His further targets are other cities — and whole states, such as California — whose leaders must now be wondering: Are we next? And if so, what will the retaliation look like?
Here’s an idea: don’t want none, don’t start none. All sorts of elected officials in the state of NY have been going after Trump since the moment he was elected. Welcome to Politics 101. Remember, these same people whining now had zero problem with the IRS under Obama targeting private citizens and groups. At least Trump is targeting politicians and government employees.
Perhaps Democrats shouldn’t protect illegal aliens. And they’re lucky the Trump admin isn’t charging them with crimes, including felonies.
