Trump struggles for migrant caravan plan

WASHINGTON - The United States has not settled on a plan for what to do if a migrant caravan arrives at the southern border, despite threats by US President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency or rescind aid from the countries whose people are journeying north.

Top immigration officials and close Trump advisers are still evaluating the options in closed-door meetings that have gotten increasingly heated in the past week, including one that turned into a shouting match as the caravan of about 7,000 people pushes north, according to officials and others with knowledge of the issue. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly on the topic.

The caravan, at least 1,600 kilometers away, came on the heels of a surge in apprehension of families at the border, which has rankled Trump but has also given him a fresh talking point to rally his base ahead of the US midterm elections just two weeks away.

But the president's inner circle on immigration is grappling with the same problems that have plagued them for months, absent any law change by US Congress.

Some in the government, like Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, advocate for a diplomatic approach using relationships with Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador and the United Nations to stop the flow of migrants arriving in the US.

"We fully support the efforts of Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico as they seek to address this critical situation and ensure a safer and more secure region," Nielsen said in statement earlier this week that noted her department was closely monitoring the possibility of gangs or other criminals that prey on those in "irregular migration".

But others are agitating for more immediate options, including declaring a state of emergency, which would give the government broader authority over how to manage people at the border; rescinding aid; or giving parents who arrive in the US a choice between being detained for months or years with their children while pursuing asylum, or releasing their children to a government shelter while a relative or guardian seeks custody.

Tensions boiled over last week when Nielsen suggested going to the UN Committee on Human Rights in a meeting with White House chief of staff John Kelly. National security adviser John Bolton, a longtime critic of the UN, exploded over the idea, the officials and people said. Nielsen responded that Bolton, not a frequent attendant of the immigration meetings, was no expert on the topic, they said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said in a statement: "While we are passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration, we are not angry at one another. However, we are furious at the failure of Congressional Democrats to help us address this growing crisis."

Coupled with the caravan, US officials have said it's a full-on crisis. They say loopholes in laws have allowed for a worsening border crisis where the vast majority of people coming illegally to the US cannot be easily returned home.

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(China Daily 10/25/2018 page11)