Letter: Troubling border strategy demands more attention
One of President Donald Trump's latest acts slipped under media radar. He expanded a 60-foot strip of land that runs through three U.S. states bordering Mexico, turning it into a new 'military base.' This allows the administration to sidestep the Posse Comitatus Act, which prevents the military from acting as a domestic police force. Because it's a 'military base,' soldiers can apprehend, search and detain people who cross the border illegally.
As the Brennan Center for Justice states: 'Searching and apprehending migrants would ordinarily run afoul of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal armed forces from directly participating in civilian law enforcement activities unless doing so is expressly authorized by Congress or the Constitution. The law stems from an Anglo-American tradition, centuries older than the Constitution, of restraining military interference in civilian affairs. It serves as a critical check on presidential power and a vital safeguard for both personal liberty and democracy.'
Activists say this is Trump's first step to blur the line to use military force against civil protest. They note that his last administration sought to use the military against peaceful protesters in Washington.
Berks County is represented by two former GOP military officers who should know the law (Rep. Dan Meuser and Sen. Dave McCormick). Do they believe the military could be turned on civilian peaceful protesters? What have they done to push back on this latest scheme of Trump's?
Tom Posey
Yardley, Bucks County
Posey is formerly of Reading.
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