In Forbes column on new “Border Wars” book by NY Times reporters, Stuart Anderson highlights how Stephen Miller drives immigration policy
A new column in Forbes by Stuart Anderson assessing the new book “Border Wars,” by New York Times reporters Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear, highlights the role Stephen Miller plays in advancing the anti-immigrant movement’s policy wishlist and driving the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
While the book received initial attention about the shocking revelations that Trump explored alligator-filled moats and mulled shooting immigrants in the leg, Anderson goes beyond these headlines to highlight the damaging role of Miller that comes through in the book.
Read excerpts below from Stuart Anderson’s column, “What ‘Border Wars’ Book Reveals About Trump, Miller And Immigration,” which can be found in its entirety here:
Reading the new book Border Wars: Inside Trump’s Assault on Immigration by New York Times journalists Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear is an excellent way to understand recent U.S. immigration policy. While the book’s revelations about Donald Trump advocating for alligator-filled moats have received the most attention, there is much more to learn about immigration from Davis, Shear and their well-researched book.
…Davis and Shear show there are instances where Miller appears to have misled Trump and others in the White House, such as with the RAISE Act actually reducing legal immigration. “I disagreed with that aspect of it,” Trump told Davis and Shear. And while Trump supported the “public charge” rule as the concept was presented to him, is there any evidence Miller or others told him it might significantly reduce the number of immigrants who could enter the United States?
If Stephen Miller was not Trump’s adviser, would Trump mind if the FY 2020 level of refugee admissions was, for example, 60,000 a year rather than 18,000 a year? If not for Stephen Miller, is it possible that Trump would have reached a deal with Democrats on funding his border wall in exchange for legalization for Dreamers? These questions are difficult to answer.
One thing is certain: Ultimately, only Donald Trump is responsible for his administration’s immigration policy – and no other president in recent memory would have handed control of America’s immigration policy to Stephen Miller.
