Trump touts his authority amid DHS shutdown: ‘I have a lot of power to do things’

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump spoke about his presidential authority and the immigration crisis under the previous administration while addressing reporters on Tuesday, March 31, in the Oval Office.

His remarks came amid a partial government shutdown triggered by Democrats not approving funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its sub-agencies, such as ICE and CBP, due to their controversial tactics. The funding lapse has now become the longest partial government shutdown in US history.

Trump on presidential powers and DHS funding crisis

During the interaction, a reporter asked Trump whether he had the authority to transfer control from the DHS to the Navy, particularly concerning the Coast Guard amid the ongoing funding issues.

Trump responded, “No, I have a lot of powers to do things, and we use the powers where appropriate. Sometimes you don't have to use those powers. They're a little severe. And then people accuse me of being a king.”

He continued, "They've been trying for a long time, including four years where I was out of office watching how badly this country was run. But they've been trying for a long time. You know what they really are doing is they want to have people coming into our country."

Trump then stated, "They want to have open borders. They want to have criminals coming into our country."

He further added "They want to have people unchecked, unvetted, coming into our country that you can look at and say, this is not good. And that's what happened. They allowed 25 million people into our country. Many of those people were criminals. Many of them were d*ug dealers and murderers and people that were let out of mental institutions, prison populations."

Trump then highlighted immigration from countries in Africa and South America, "In some countries, the Congo, almost its entire prison population was allowed to come into the United States of America, the Congo. Many of the countries in South America, they emptied their prisons out into our country. This was under Biden. And nobody can tell me that's a good thing."

He concluded, "And yet they haven't changed their ways because if they ever took power, they would open up the borders and they would let people pour in and destroy our country. So I have many powers, but I don't have to use them. I mean, only in severe cases."

Trump criticizes Biden admin and DHS actions, legal developments

In a previous Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “Joe Biden, Mayorkas, and so-called ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris really screwed our Country by letting anyone and everyone come in totally unchecked and unvetted.”

The DHS also criticised the Biden administration, calling its immigration approach an “act of national self-sabotage,” particularly in relation to a Washington, DC, attack, stating the suspect “should never have been in this country.”

Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blamed Joe Biden for the death of National Guard member Sarah, stating that the accused’s application to enter the US began under his administration. She said, “The consequences of the shooting and the death of Sarah are directly on the shoulders of Joe Biden and his administration.”

The Trump administration ended the parole program and introduced an app to facilitate “self-deportations.” However, a federal judge ruled that DHS overstepped its authority by terminating the legal status of thousands of migrants who entered through the CBP One app.

Approximately 900,000 migrants had been granted two-year parole and work authorization under the Biden administration. The ruling restored their legal status nationwide after DHS had sent notices canceling their parole.

Since 2023, the Biden administration required many asylum seekers to use the app to manage southern border entries. In April, migrants received notices instructing them to leave the US or face deportation unless they had obtained lawful status.