By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

President Trump’s most famous campaign pledge – to build a border wall and get Mexico to pay for it – has been attacked by his own party as clumsy, cost-prohibitive and singularly focused.

On Thursday, a group of Republican senators unveiled legislation that would increase border security without having a severe impact on trade, the Washington Post reports. 

The legislation, which is backed the chamber’s No. 2 Republican, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, calls for $15 billion over four years to increase Border Patrol agents, ICE officers, immigration judges and prosecutors and to improve border security infrastructure such as fences, surveillance and levees.

“Border security is not a one-size-fits-all proposition; we need an approach that will work at each unique place along the U.S.-Mexico border,” Cornyn told reporters Thursday.

The idea, the senators said, was to “regain the public’s confidence” after what the Post called “several rocky legislative months.”

Robert Mueller

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Special counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury as he and his team of 16 prosecutors dig deeper into allegations that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

The grand jurors, who are responsible for examining subpoenaed documents and listening to witness testimony, will ultimately decide whether charges are warranted.

That’s significant because it means Mueller is exploring the possibility of pursuing criminal charges. 

The grand jury gives Mueller the power to issue subpoenas and compel witnesses to testify.

The scope could easily grow as subpoenas and testimony comes in. 

ICE agents, via ICE.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The Justice Department is stepping up pressure on four cities to cooperate with immigration enforcement, threatening to stop providing federal help to crack down on crime.

To continue receiving crime-fighting assistance, San Bernardino, Stockton, Baltimore and Albuquerque must help federal agents with inmates who are undocumented immigrants.

But the Los Angeles Times says the threat “appeared poorly thought out” because neither of the four cities operate a jail, and two have no sanctuary policies. 

The Justice Department didn’t respond to the Times’ questions about the selection of the four cities.