Priorities

Look, if you are going to run a government dedicated to ethnic cleansing, the important priority when a hurricane brings catastrophic flooding to south Texas is making sure the people of the Brownsville area, many of whom are undocumented, can’t flee north without getting their papers checked. Think of all the people the Border Patrol could catch, what with the trying to live and such.

“Border Patrol checkpoints will not be closed unless there is a danger to the safety of the traveling public and our agents. Border Patrol resources, including personnel and transportation, will be deployed on an as needed basis to augment the efforts and capabilities of local-response authorities,” the agency said in a statement.

“We’re not going to impede anybody getting out of here, but at the same time we’re a law enforcement agency, so we still have to conduct our duties,” he said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas quickly admonished the agency for putting policy ahead of safety.

“Safety should be a priority regardless of immigration status,” said ACLU policy strategist Astrid Dominguez. “This is very concerning for the community. It sends a wrong message.”

As of Thursday afternoon, Southeast Texas and the state’s coastal bend regions were expected to be the hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey. But the Rio Grande Valley and its surrounding areas are also bracing for possible severe flooding or worse if the path of the storm shifts. As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service said the threat to life and property for Brownsville and the surrounding areas was high and that “Emergency plans should include a reasonable threat for hurricane force wind of 74 to 110 mph of equivalent Category 1 to 2 intensity.”

I’m sure Herr Trump and Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III approve.