Our closest cross-border political leader, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, deserves a neighbourly fist-bump from sa国际传媒 for his instant denunciation of U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 executive order on immigration.
There鈥檚 a growing realization that the United States under Trump鈥檚 leadership is veering off the edge of the map of the known political world. That fills many people with despair and alarm. But this strange journey is also bringing out the best in people.
It brought out the best in Inslee on Friday night, as it did in Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. Seattle is considered a sanctuary city, where local authorities have pledged not to co-operate with certain federal crackdowns on immigrants, putting federal grants at risk. Murray drew a parallel to the days of Japanese internment camps.
After the notorious order was signed, Inslee went to Seattle-Tacoma airport, where there was considerable tension amongst about 3,000 appalled demonstrators as the full import took shape. Inslee highlighted the 鈥渃haos and cruelty鈥� it was wreaking, and the state followed up with a lawsuit on Monday, the first one filed by a state.
Inslee also took note of the presidential order鈥檚 absurd clumsiness.
鈥淭hese people couldn鈥檛 organize a two-car funeral,鈥� Inslee said of the White House. At the moment, that鈥檚 a frightening summation of Trump鈥檚 executive skills.
It might eventually turn out to be a comfort, if it limits him from achieving ambitions like the one the immigration order highlights. Numerous elements of the order have run headlong into a problem called 鈥渢he rule of law.鈥�
So far, the law is winning. Due credit to Inslee and other Washington leaders for seeing that it is applied.
