In a tweet Saturday, President Trump tried to blame the recent deaths of two migrant children in U.S. custody — 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo and 7-year-old Jakelin Caal — on Democrats for not implementing strict immigration policies that would deter parents from making the dangerous trek to the border.
Any deaths of children or others at the Border are strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally. They can’t. If we had a Wall, they wouldn’t even try! The two children in question were very sick before they were given over to Border Patrol. The father of the young girl said it was not their fault, he hadn’t given her water in days. Border Patrol needs the Wall and it will all end. They are working so hard & getting so little credit!
Why it matters: This is Trump's first public comment on the death of the two children.Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said in a statement that it's been "more than a decade" since a child died anywhere in the CBP process. Democrats plan to investigate the death of the two children when they take control of the House in January.
The Trump administration unleashed in 2018 a staggering number of policies, rules and proclamations intended to obstruct U.S. immigration.
Driving the news: The House and Senatefailed to reach a compromise on immigration legislation, leaving the Trump administration to use everything within its executive power to address the issue. Many of those efforts were blocked (at least temporarily) by the courts.
Democratic Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren are expected to announce their 2020 presidential runs in the next several weeks, the New York Times reports.
The big picture: The four senators, who have spent time scouting potential headquarters, interviewing possible campaign managers and reviewing their political records, will head up a crowded field for the Democratic nomination. Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Beto O'Rourke have also been the subjects of intense speculation, and have performed well in recent polls of prospective candidates.
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) revealed in a letter to top Justice Department officials Friday that they are closing their investigation into how the FBI and the Justice Department handled their probes of Hillary Clinton's emails and potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The bottom line: Goodlatte and Gowdy's letter issued few new revelations, but the outgoing chairmen urged House Democrats to “continue to identify and eliminate bias” in federal agencies when they take over in January. Democrats have already indicated, however, that they plan to drop the investigation.
President Trump has not issued an order to the Pentagon directing U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, White House National Security Council spokesperson Garrett Marquis told Bloomberg.
The backdrop: Multiplenewsoutlets, citing defense and administration officials, reported that Trump had ordered about half of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be withdrawn the same week he announced the U.S. would withdraw from Syria. On Sunday, theU.S. commander of international forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, told Voice of America that he hadn't received any such orders.
The impact of the government shutdown will continue to grow as members of Congress remain unable to reach a compromise over funding for President Trump's border wall.
The state of play: Exactly one week since the shutdown began, it doesn't seem likely that the government will reopen anytime soon, with neither the Senate nor the House scheduled to hold votes until at least Monday. Democrats will take control of the House on Jan. 3, leaving even less leverage for Trump to get the funding he has demanded.
North Carolina's elections board dissolved Friday without certifying the results of the state's 9th congressional race, which has been marred by allegations that a contractor for Republican Mark Harris committed election fraud to help him defeat his Democratic opponent Dan McCready, the New York Times reports.
The big picture: The board disbanded as a result of an unrelated court order that ruled its structure was unconstitutional.
The 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died on Christmas Eve while in U.S. custody tested positive for influenza B, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator said, per USA Today.
Details: Felipe Gómez Alonzo and his father had been detained for a few days when a border agent "noticed Felipe was coughing and had 'glossy eyes,'" USA Today reports. He was then sent to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cold and fever, and observed for 90 minutes by U.S. Customs and Border Protection before being released on Monday afternoon. Hours later, he returned to the hospital for nausea and vomiting, and later died. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen plans to travel to El Paso, Texas, on Friday to observe CBP's medical screen process.
A significant percentage of Latino voters are sticking with the Republican party and continuing to support President Trump despite his rhetoric on immigration and policies like family separation at the southern border, the AP reports.
The bottom line: About one third of Latino voters voted for Republicans in November's midterms, similar to the number that voted for President Trump in 2016. Rev. Sam Rodriguez, one of Trump's spiritual advisers, told the AP it all comes down to religious beliefs. He said Latinos continue to support Trump "[b]ecause of the Democratic Party's obsession with abortion. It's life and religious liberty and everything else follows."
