As President Trump prepares to issue another executive order on immigration, Arizona’s congressional delegation is offering differing views of how he has handled the edict thus far.
Even though families are at risk of being torn apart by the non-discretionary deportations, Scottsdale-based Republican David Schweikert says you can’t just lay the blame on Trump.
He defends the orders as having been long in the works.
“It may still be heartbreaking and a difficult story, but at some point, all the boxes were checked and this wasn’t just a function of a new president,” Schweikert said.
Tucson Congressman Raul Grijalva, a Democrat, argues that Trump’s first executive order eliminates prosecutorial discretion, meaning that any crime is eligible for deportation.
He also believes recent raids were only the beginning.
“Those were a precursor for more raids to come, unfortunately. More divisions, more anxiety, more stress in our communities and our state,” Grijalva said.
Grijalva is worried for any undocumented individual in Arizona and adds that immigrants covered by the Dream Act are in total limbo about their status.
