Earlier today at Dulles airport, a number of Democratic members of Congress were stopped by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials after attempting to visit with those still detained at the airport. According to reports, the CBP agents are defying Saturday’s court order to allow the detainees access to lawyers and these congressmen wanted answers. Watch:
Are people being detained & questioned w/o access to lawyers in violation of court order? 4 MOCs came to find out. No answers yet from CBP. pic.twitter.com/B9R3gMR856
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) January 29, 2017
Congressmen @RepDonBeyer @GerryConnolly @RepRaskin demanding to see "people detained" at Dulles pic.twitter.com/o54VBU4FxI
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) January 29, 2017
One of the congressman, Rep. Don Beyer (VA-8), later tweeted that the CBP officials’ refusal to let them see the detainees amounted to a “constitutional crisis”:
We have a constitutional crisis today. Four Members of Congress asked CBP officials to enforce a federal court order and were turned away.
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) January 29, 2017
More from Rep. Beyer on how he was stopped while trying to meet with the detainees:
My brief interview with @RepDonBeyer as he, @GerryConnolly and @RepRaskin try to speak to CBP officials at Dulles pic.twitter.com/Gu2qklStTZ
— Yeganeh Torbati (@yjtorbati) January 29, 2017
However, calling this a “constitutional crisis” might be a little premature. Sen. Chuck Schumer spoke with DHS head John Kelly who assured him that DHS would comply with the court order and “all those in airports expected to be admitted”:
Just off phone w/ Gen. Kelly. Assures me the court order will be complied with. All those still in airports expected to be admitted.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 29, 2017
New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait tweeted that it’s “*probably* bureaucratic confusion,” but his opinion would obviously change if the Trump administration was found to have ordered DHS to violate the order:
This *probably* bureaucratic confusion. But if Trump's people ordered them to violate court order? Hoo boy. https://t.co/kb5H7jYDdi
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) January 29, 2017
To be continued.
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