Don't look now, but Trump has his own federal shock troops
by digby
Trump's deportation force is the cult's federal uniformed agents:
The Trump White House is planning an event next week to honor federal immigration agents — even as more than 500 migrant children remain separated from their parents after being separated at the border.
The “Salute to the Heroes of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs [and] Border Protection" is scheduled for Aug. 20 in the East Room, an administration official confirmed, in the latest signal that the Trump administration anticipates the midterm fallout from its zero-tolerance border policy very differently from its critics.
Tyler Moran, managing director of the D.C.-based Immigration Hub, said the White House plans to honor ICE and CBP agents are “a ploy to use culture wars to divide people.”
Trump touted the work of ICE officers at the Cabinet meeting Thursday, saying they “have been absolutely abused” and have done an “incredible job” combating MS-13 and other gangs.
“They are tremendous people,” the president said. “They’re brave, they’re strong, they’re tough and they’re good. … Do you think you’re going to send just regular people in to take care of MS-13 and these gangs? Not going to happen.”
Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies, cheered the planned White House event for ICE and CPB officials. “They don’t get enough recognition, and I don’t think there’s enough public awareness of the dangers they face,” she said.
This is pure trolling. But it has a purpose too. He's building a loyal police force. He's been doing that from the beginning. It's always been scary how many cops are big supporters.
This conversation between Ron Brownstein and Bill Kristol brings that into focus.
Brownstein concludes with this observation about 2020:
Trump “essentially runs as a wartime President—only the war is against Blue America."
And he's got the troops to fight it.
