Shutdowns, emergencies and tariffs: Trump?s frenetic immigration approach has become central to his 2020 bid

As Democratic presidential candidates have put out fresh policy proposals this year on a host of issues including education, child care, housing, climate change, student loan debt, taxes and inequality, President Trump has put forward new ideas at much the same clip.They just happen to be almost exclusively about one issue: immigration.Trump has shut down the government, declared a national emergency over his proposed border wall, threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border, cut off funding for Northern Triangle countries, sent additional troops to the border, fired his top immigration officials, selected an immigration “czar,” pitched an overhaul of the legal immigration system and called for releasing immigrant detainees into so-called sanctuary cities.On Thursday, he ratcheted up the pressure again by threatening to slap tariffs as high as 25 percent on all goods imported from Mexico — a move that risks harming the economy and undermining a trade deal he had been championing as a potential legislative achievement under divided government.The wave of border policies flowing from the White House offers a clear signal that Trump’s reelection bid is likely to focus on immigration more than any other topic — a cause that animates his base but also highlights his failure to contain the flow of Central American migrants coming to the United States in record numbers.“He certainly believes that immigration is a key issue that got him elected and, looking at the 2020 election, he’s trying to show that he’s trying to do something,” said Theresa Brown, a former policy official at the Department of Homeland Security who works at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Americans understand the crisis we face and the necessity of putting America First in addressing this crisis.”McEnany said Trump would also plan to campaign on “the hottest economy on record.”But the president’s focus as he gears up for his 2020 bid — Trump announced Friday that he would launch his official campaign on June 18 in Orlando — has been squarely on immigration.Asked Thursday about new legislation in Louisiana to restrict abortion, Trump quickly changed the subject to the border, previewing what he said would be his “biggest statement so far.”“We are going to do something very dramatic on the border, because people are coming into our country,” Trump told reporters at the White House.Critics say it is the president’s flair for the dramatic that has worsened the situation at the border, as frenetic policies and statements emanating from the White House have added to a sense of chaos.