By: Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

President Trump has provoked a national emergency and constitutional crisis with the stroke of a pen.  Personal, political shortcomings and hallucinations have never constituted a national emergency – until now. For generations the United States has presented itself as a beacon of hope and freedom, and a sanctuary for the oppressed from around the world. That is not merely who we have claimed to be – that is who we are.

But President Trump goes to sleep at night and sees an “invasion” of drug dealers and other criminals from South and Central America. The real drug crisis; however, comes by way of legal ports of entry and abuses of pharmaceutical production. Drugs are smuggled in trucks, boats and planes, and are found in medicine cabinets of households where there is abuse of legal drugs.

These drugs do not come in on the backs of desperate families, crossing rugged terrain and desert conditions.  America’s appetite for illicit drugs and the profits that flow from it, continues to drive the demand for drugs.  A wall can’t curb America’s appetite for drugs. The president has no right, either morally or constitutionally, to unilaterally authorize money to waste on a wall of ignorance and hate. The last few years, we’ve seen the number of illegal border crossings going down. The majority of those in the country illegally are those who have overstayed their visas.  For others who come seeking asylum, they make long, difficult and dangerous journeys fleeing violence, poverty and war. These are the modern, huddled masses, yearning to be free – and safe.

We call on the Congress to use every tool at its disposal, whether legislation or litigation, to stop President Trump from fulfilling a campaign promise through deceit and unlawful manipulation of presidential power.  This shameful waste of public dollars, pillaged from other essential uses and projects, will only harm our country and further diminish our moral standing around the world. This national emergency has one clear source – 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  The Congress must end this Trump-ed up crisis now.