The chairs of the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Homeland Security committees are demanding internal White House communications with the Department of Homeland security regarding the Trump-Miller plan to "punish" sanctuary cities by sending asylum applicants there.
"These reports are alarming," write Reps. Jerry Nadler, Elijah Cummings, and Bennie Thomspon, who are the committee chairs, in a letter obtained by Greg Sargent of the Washington Post. "Not only does the Administration lack the legal authority to transfer detainees in this manner, it is shocking that the President and senior Administration officials are even considering manipulating release decisions for purely political reasons."
The "gravity of this matter," they write, requires that the White House release documents from November 1, 2018 through April 15, 2019. That included "emails and other communications" between the White House, DHS, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement dealing with the transfer or release of detainees anywhere in the U.S. or in "specific locations or areas" in the U.S. They also demand any and all DHS documentation, including drafts "discussing policy or legal justifications or implications" of the plan.