The New York Times and others are reporting that former Virginia Attorney General and failed Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli has been selected by President Trump to be his “Immigration Czar.”
The following is a statement from Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America’s Voice:
Ken Cuccinelli as immigration czar is a perfect embodiment of Trump’s continuing failure on immigration and the dilemma Trump faces heading into 2020. While immigration hardliners demand evermore cruel and punitive policies, the majority of Americans are moving away from the President on immigration. Trump the President and Trump the candidate are leaning in to demonizing immigrants, sowing division, and skirting the will of Congress, all while failing to propose and implement realistic and reasonable policies that would reduce and resolve the immigration chaos and the humanitarian crisis facing the country.
President Trump had his choice of failed Republican gubernatorial candidates who lost as immigration hardliners and decided to pick Cuccinelli of Virginia over Kris Kobach of Kansas. Across the board, from policy to personnel to overall strategy, Trump is surrounding himself with failure, and it is defining his presidency.
Cuccinelli’s past comments on immigrants really tells you all you need to know. Cuccinelli’s record includes the following: he has compared immigrants to rats; he rails against ‘ILLEGAL aliens;’ he said ‘the caravan remains an ongoing threat to our country’s sovereignty and safety;’ and he called White Nationalist Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa ‘one of my very favorite congressmen.’
By selecting Cuccinelli, Trump is offering a preview of what’s to come from a Trump White House and Trump re-election campaign that is obsessed, failing, and flailing on immigration politics and policy.
