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Comment by Parrhesia on February 16, 2019 at 7:47pm

How can the left question Trump on the national emergency?

Obama declared the Mexican drug cartels a national emergency in 2011.   

 

As it turns out, back in 2011 then-President Barack Obama issued an executive order “blocking property of transnational criminal organizations organizations.” Obama cited his authority as granted through the Constitution to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1701, and the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1601. The latter is the same legislation that Trump is citing to get funding for the wall to achieve his immigration reform goals. That executive order targeted a number of criminal organizations, including the Mexican Los Zetas cartel, an ally of the MS-13 gang President Trump has regularly called out as a danger to Americans.

“Drugs, gangs and people — an invasion,” Trump said on Friday. “We have an invasion coming into this country.”

Trump all but thanked his predecessor on Friday.

“We may be using one of the national emergencies that [Obama] signed having to do with criminal cartels… it’s a very good national emergency… we’re going to be using parts of it,” he said.