Unlawfully appointed acting Department of Homeland (DHS) Sec. Chad Wolf is getting trotted across the country at taxpayer expense to basically act as a Trump campaign surrogate, traveling to Arizona last week to very normally complain that electing Joe Biden will mean an end to many of the hateful policies that the administration is touting as wins (and by electing Joe Biden as the next president, that’s what we certainly hope happens).
The Washington Post notes that Unlawful Chad intentionally didn’t say the former vice president’s name during his address to local law enforcement on Thursday, no doubt his way of slithering out of complaints that this so-called DHS press conference is really nothing more than a corrupt political stunt for the benefit of his impeached boss’ campaign. They really do think they’re the most clever people in the world, don’t they?
Maria Sacchetti reports that among the policies that Unlawful Chad warned could be at risk is the Trump administration move forcing thousands of asylum-seekers to wait out their immigration cases in Mexico. Sacchetti reports that Unlawful Chad framed Migrant Protection Protocols, or Remain in Mexico, as a policy that has “curbed asylum fraud,” while some of us refer to it as an intentionally cruel policy that has been ruled unlawful by the courts and resulted in the deaths of numerous asylum-seekers.
“This process,” Unlawful Chad claimed, “helps promote a safer and more orderly process along the Southwest border, discourages individuals from making meritless asylum claims, and enables quick immigration results.” The lies, the lies, the lies. Human rights advocates have repeatedly warned that Remain in Mexico has left asylum-seekers more vulnerable to violence as political appointees like Ken Cuccinelli, yet another supremely unqualified and unlawfully appointed official, have actually encouraged asylum officers to deny more claims.
Then there was talk about Unlawful Chad’s “quick immigration results.” He of course doesn’t clarify for whom. If he means the administration gets to quickly kick out asylum-seekers as is its overall goal, then sure, I guess it “enables quick immigration results” for the administration. When it comes to asylum-seekers, some have been waiting for their immigration court date for a year with no end in sight now that the administration is using the novel coronavirus pandemic to delay their court dates for even longer.
Of course none of this touches on another reason why Unlawful Chad is in Arizona in the first place. “Polls show that Biden has an edge over Trump in Arizona, which the president won by less than 4 points four years ago,” Sacchetti reports. Laiken Jordahl, a Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund advocate and opponent (like the majority of American voters) of the impeached president’s border fencing, told Sacchetti that “it’s pathetic to see Wolf making a fool of himself shilling for Trump.”
This coiffed mini-fascist has already gone to despicable lengths to politically benefit his boss, from deploying federal forces against Americans in Portland to participating in a naturalization stunt as part of the Republican National Convention this past summer (remember that one?), and then lying about it. Republicans have clearly signaled they won’t hold him accountable for any of his abuses, advancing his nomination to officially lead the department even though he again lied to the Senate under oath. And none of these even touches on Unlawful Chad also refusing to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, more than 100 days since the decision. But “law and order,” or something.
Unlawful Chad is banking on hopes that his loyalty now will be rewarded later should Trump win a second term. Lord help us all if that happens. So we know what we need to do.
