CENTER OF THE COUNTRIES TO CITIES AND STATES THAT OPPOSE
THE PRESIDENT’S IMMIGRATION
POLICIES.
POLICIES. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP PLANNING
TO OPEN A NEW IMMIGRATION FRONT,
THIS TIME MILES FROM THE BORDER.
>> I CALL THEM THE ILLEGALS,
THEY CAME ACROSS THE BORDER
ILLEGAL, WE’LL BRING THEM TO
SANCTUARY CITY AREAS AND LET
THAT PARTICULAR AREA TAKE CARE
OF IT.
OF IT. >> Reporter: FRUSTRATED AT THE
BORDER, THE PRESIDENT IS LOOKING
INLANLD TAKING AIM ATE -- INLANL
AIM AT CITIES WHO OPPOSE HIS
PLAN FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
HIS PROPOSAL, BUS MIGRANTS
DETAINED AT THE BORDER INTO
SANCTUARY CITIES, LARGELY
DEMOCRATIC ENCLAVES LIKE NEW
YORK, CHICAGO AND SAN FRANCISCO,
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI’S
HOME DISTRICT.
HOME DISTRICT. >> IT’S JUST ANOTHER NOTION THAT
IS UNWORTHY OF THE PRESIDENCY OF
THE UNITED STATES AND
DISRESPECTFUL, THE CHALLENGES
THAT WE FACE AS A COUNTRY, AS A
PEOPLE TO ADDRESS WHO WE ARE, A
NATION OF IMMIGRANTS.
>> THE PRESIDENT THREATENING TO
TEST THAT PROPOSITION.
>> CALIFORNIA CERTAINLY IS
ALWAYS SAYING, OH, WE WANT MORE
PEOPLE, AND THEY WANT MORE
PEOPLE IN THEIR SANCTUARY
CITIES.
CITIES. WE’LL GIVE THEM MORE PEOPLE.
WE CAN GIVE THEM A LOT.
WE CAN GIVE THEM AN UNLIMITED
SUPPLY.
SUPPLY. LET’S SEE IF THEY’RE SO HAPPY.
>> HIS PLAN TO PUNISH DEMOCRATS
FIRST REPORTED IN THE
"WASHINGTON POST" COMING JUST
HOURS AFTER WHITE HOUSE AND
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
OFFICIALS SAID IT HAD BEEN
REJECTED BACK IN FEBRUARY
BECAUSE THE PLAN WAS IN THE
WORDS OF ONE FORMER OFFICIAL SO
ILLEGAL.
ILLEGAL. THE PRESIDENT’S THREAT COMING
OFF MONTHS, AFTER HIS SECRETARY
OF HOMELAND SECURITY, KIRSTJEN
NIELSEN WHO RESIGNED ON SUNDAY.
BEFORE NAMING KEVIN McALEENAN AS
ACTING SECRETARY, TRUMP
REPORTEDLY TOLD HIM TO SHUT DOWN
THE BORDER AND DANGLED A
PRESIDENT PARDON FOR McALEENAN
IF HE FACED CONSEQUENCES.
THAT ORDER TO SEAL THE BORDER AN
INDICATION OF HOW SERIOUS TRUMP
WAS LAST WEEK WHEN HE PROMISED
TO DO JUST THAT.
>> WE’LL CLOSE THE BORDER.
SOMEBODY SAID IT WILL TAKE A
YEAR.
YEAR. NO, IT WON’T TAKE A YEAR.
IT WILL TAKE A DAY.
>> LATE LAST NIGHT, THE
PRESIDENT DISPUTED THAT HE
OFFERED McALEENAN ANY SORT OF
PARDON TAKING TO TWITTER, SAYING
ANOTHER FAKE STORY ON NBC NEWS
THAT I OFFERED PARDONS, OF
COURSE THIS IS NOT TRUE.
MEANWHILE, SOME OF THE MAYORS IN
SANCTUARY CITIES HAVE BEEN TAKEN
TO TWITTER SAYING IMMIGRANTS ARE
STILL WELCOME IN THEIR CITIES
BUT THEY ARE NOTING THEY DON’T
HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE THEM
STAY BECAUSE CITIES IN AMERICA,
THEY’VE GOT OPEN BORDERS.
>> GOOD POINT.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. >>> JOINING US FROM THE
"WASHINGTON POST" IS WHITE HOUSE
REPORTER AND NBC NEWS POLITICAL
ANALYST, ASHLEY PARKER.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING.
LET’S START ON IMMIGRATION IF WE
CAN HERE, THE PRESIDENT AS WE
HAVE WITNESSED HAS BROKEN A LOT
OF NORMS OVER THE COURSE OF HIS
PRESIDENCY.
PRESIDENCY. BUT IT APPEARS WITH THE
SANCTUARY CITY IDEA THAT HE MAY
ALSO BE PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
OF THE LAW.
I GUESS THE QUESTION IS THIS
REAL OR IS THIS JUST ANOTHER
EFFORT TO APPEAL TO HIS BASE?
>> I THINK IT’S A GREAT QUESTION
AND THE ANSWER IS BOTH.
THE PRESIDENT HAS GOTTEN A TON
OF MILEAGE OUT OF THREATS AND
BLUSTER WITHOUT FOLLOWING
THROUGH AND HIS BASE CERTAINLY
LIKES THIS RHETORIC BUT THE
"POST" REPORTED AND THE
PRESIDENT CONFIRMED THAT THIS IS
SOMETHING HE IS ACTUALLY
CONSIDERING AND IT’S WORTH
NOTING HE SOMETIMES DOES FOLLOW
THROUGH ON HIS THREATS.
THE ONE QUESTION IS IF IT IS
ACTUALLY A LEGAL ISSUE AND HE’LL
BE ABLE TO DO THAT OR HE’LL FACE
HURDLES.
HURDLES. >> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE
MUELLER REPORT AS WASHINGTON
BRACES FOR THE REPORT IN THE
NEXT FEW DAYS.
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR
SAYING HE BELIEVES SPYING
OCCURRED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. CAN YOU PUT THIS INTO CONTEXT
FOR US?
FOR US? IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AN
INDEPENDENT PROCESS.
INDEPENDENT PROCESS. OBVIOUSLY IT SEEMS POLITICAL AND
ARE WE EVER GOING TO GET ANY
CLOSER TO CLOSURE ON THIS?
>> I THINK THE CONTEXT IS IT IS
DEEPLY POLITICIZED AT THIS
POINT.
POINT. YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THE
REPUBLICANS IN THE WHITE HOUSE
NO MATTER WHAT WE SEE SAYING WE
TOLD YOU FOR 22 MONTHS THIS IS A
WITCH HUNT, AND THEY FOUND NO
COLLUSION, AND YOU’RE GOING TO
SEE DEMOCRATS GOING THROUGH THE
300, 400 PAGES, PICKING OUT
UNFLATTERING DETAILS FOR THE
PRESIDENT SAYING HE BEHAVED
POORLY, AND IT WILL BREAK ALONG
PARTISAN LINES.
PARTISAN LINES. >> OBVIOUSLY THAT’S GOING TO BE
CENTRAL TO THE 2020 DEBATE,
IMMIGRATION IS GOING TO BE
CENTRAL TO THE 2020 DEBATE AS
WELL.
WELL. THIS WEEKEND, TOMORROW, THE
37-YEAR-OLD MAYOR OF SOUTH BEND,
INDIANA, PETE BUTTIGIEG EXPECTED
TO ANNOUNCE HIS CANDIDACY FOR
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. IT MEANS THE DEMOCRATS WILL HAVE
AT LEAST 15 INDIVIDUALS RUNNING.
BUTTIGIEG HAS SEEN A SURGE IN
RECENT DAYS BEHIND JOE BIDEN AND
BERNIE SANDERS IN BOTH IOWA AND
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
NEW HAMPSHIRE. HOW VIABLE IS THIS CANDIDACY.
WHY IS HE SURGING AND CAN IT
LAST?
LAST? >> THE QUESTION OF CAN IT LAST,
WHO KNOWS, WE’RE TWO YEARS OUT.
ONE THING PEOPLE SEEM TO LIKE
ABOUT HIM, IN A DIFFERENT WAY,
IS HIS AUTHENTICITY, THE WAY HE
TALKS ABOUT HIS SEXUALITY, HIS
HUSBAND HAS AWHIMSICAL PRESENCE,
SO IT’S REFRESHING NOW.
IT’S CATCHING FIRE BUT WHO KNOWS
IF HE CAN SUSTAIN THAT MOMENTUM.
>> THE JUDGE LOOKING TO BECOME
THE FIRST OPENLY GUY PRESIDENT,
THE FIRST MILLENNIAL PRESIDENT