DEMS/ELECTION/ICE/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Tuesday [7-24-18] said he believed that the demands by some Democrats that a U.S. government immigration enforcement agency be shut down will help Republicans in midterm congressional elections in November. In a speech to war veterans in Kansas City, Missouri, Trump defended the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, an arm of the Homeland Security Department that has been responsible for arresting and deporting illegal immigrants. Some Democrats have called for the abolishment of the agency, arguing that it has overstepped its authority. A new poll by the Pew Research Center found that 44 percent of Americans view the agency favorably, compared to 47 percent who view it unfavorably. Trump is fighting to help Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives and Senate in Nov. 6 elections likely to be seen as a referendum on his presidency’…Trump’s policy of separating illegal immigrant parents from their children added to a fierce national debate on American immigration policies. The outcry prompted Trump to abandon the separation policy.”
–Steve Holland, “Trump injects immigration issue into 2018 elections debate,” Reuters, July 24, 2018 12:18 pm