On Wednesday, a federal judge from the radical Ninth Circuit issued an injunction blocking the White House from reversing the Obama-era executive order that created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). And like the good little liberal cheerleaders that they were, the big three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) welcomed the ruling with open arms despite the fact that it was dubious at best.
What made Judge William Alsup’s ruling so questionable was several key facts. First, DACA was unconstitutionally enacted, meaning it was not an act passed by Congress but created via an executive order. So, his ruling meant that he was forcing President Trump to commit an unconstitutional act, or basically act in an illegal manner. In addition, the ruling meant that a president couldn’t touch a previous president’s executive orders, which was just a ridiculous notion, to begin with.
But despite those facts, which were not covered, the networks sang the praising of the questionable legal maneuver.
“’Outrageous’ is the word the White House used today to describe the injunction imposed by San Francisco Judge William Alsup, who ruled that the administration made a ‘mistake of law’ last fall when it decided to roll back the Obama-era DACA order,” Chief Congressional Correspondent Cordes hyped as she began her report on CBS Evening News later that night.
While she highlighted the judge’s “mistake of law” remark, Cordes failed to mention that DACA was not a law at all, but a unilateral edict. But that didn’t stop her from worrying about how and when the federal government would begin taking DACA applications again: “It is still unclear tonight how the Department of Homeland Security plans to handle the judge's ruling, whether and when it will start accepting DACA applications again.”
During ABC’s World News Tonight, sensationalist anchor David Muir praised the judge’s ruling and seemed worried about it holding. “We turn next here to the battle over immigration and the Dreamers, and in particular the nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought here as children by their parents. Overnight, a federal judge preventing President Trump from taking action to end protections for them, at least for now,” he announced before a larger report on immigration negotiations.
“Adding to the uncertainty, a federal judge's decision overnight to temporarily block the administration's action to end the DACA program,” touted White House correspondent Peter Alexander on NBC Nightly News during a report on a medley of Trump-related news items. “The White House blasting the move as ‘outrageous,’” he added.
Because of DACA’s unconstitutional nature and the fact that President Trump was merely ending an executive order by the previous administration, many people believe that the when the Ninth Circuit order is examined by the Supreme Court it will fail to pass legal muster. And the liberal networks will probably bemoan that result.
Transcripts below:
CBS Evening News
January 10, 2018
6:38:03 – 6:40:13 PM EasternJEFF GLOR: We will have much more here from Santa Barbara County later in the broadcast, but first, there is other big news tonight. A federal judge here in California has blocked the Trump administration from ending DACA. That is the program that protects children brought into the country illegally as children from being deported. More now on this from Chief Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes.
[Cuts to video]
NANCY CORDES: "Outrageous" is the word the White House used today to describe the injunction imposed by San Francisco Judge William Alsup, who ruled that the administration made a “mistake of law” last fall when it decided to roll back the Obama-era DACA order, allowing so-called "Dreamers" to go to school and find work without fear of deportation. Dreamers like Hector Suarez.
CORDES: President Trump hit back at the ruling on Twitter, saying, "It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our court system is," but the judge wrote that the President's own past tweets, like this one, show he supports DACA protections, too. "Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated, and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really? "
(…)
[Cuts back to live]
CORDES: It is still unclear tonight how the Department of Homeland Security plans to handle the judge's ruling, whether and when it will start accepting DACA applications again. What is clear is that there is now new urgency after several false starts here on Capitol Hill to find a permanent legislative fix. Jeff?
(…)
...
ABC
World News Tonight
January 10, 2018
3:39:50 PM EasternDAVID MUIR: We turn next here to the battle over immigration and the Dreamers, and in particular the nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought here as children by their parents. Overnight, a federal judge preventing President Trump from taking action to end protections for them, at least for now. 24 hours ago, the President inviting cameras in, signaling a willingness to work with Democrats on the Dreamers before anything else. But tonight, the White House with a major clarification on that.
(…)
...
NBC Nightly News
January 10, 2018
7:05:51 PM Eastern(…)
PETER ALEXANDER: Adding to the uncertainty, a federal judge's decision overnight to temporarily block the administration's action to end the DACA program.
XAVIER BECERRA: Nobody, not even the President of the United States, is above the law.
ALEXANDER: The White House blasting the move as outrageous. Even as lawmakers insist they're increasingly optimistic they'll get a deal on DACA, before dawn today, federal immigration agents stormed nearly 100 7-eleven convenience stores nationwide. An aggressive search for undocumented workers. More than 20 arrests in all.
(…)
