title:  REPORT: Team Trump Ordered Border Patrol To Defy Members Of Congress In Original Muslim Ban
text: The roll out of the first version of Donald Trump s bigoted Muslim ban was nothing short of chaotic. People were arriving in America, only to be turned around and sent back, or detained. Even green card holders were stopped at ports of entry into the nation. There were even photos of children and elderly and disabled people being handcuffed. It was one of the most horrifically un-American moments in this nation s history. Now, new reporting from the Daily Beast shows that that Trump administration s plans regarding the implementation of this ban were even more sinister.It seems that this was the first trial balloon for Trump s intention to bypass a co-equal branch of government, as his people at the ports of entry were told to ignore judges and members of Congress trying to cut past the chaos created by Trump. Instead of letting these people do their jobs, Border Patrol agents were told to ignore them. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) says of these revelations: I m extremely troubled that CBP [Customs and Border Protection] employees would be instructed by superiors to ignore Congressional representatives trying to do their job, especially under such circumstances. We suspected as much at the time, but it s jarring to see it in black and white. I ll be seeking more information from CBP on this matter. These disturbing developments come via a leaked email from Todd Owen, of the Customs and Border Patrol Commission said to his people at the ports of entry: As stated on the call earlier today, you and your staff are NOT to engage with the media or Congressional representatives at this time. Please make sure your subordinate Port Directors are following this direction. Please report any such requests to acting AC[REDACTED] from Congressional Affairs. Thank you. Further, the Border Patrol agents were explicitly told to be suspicious of attorneys attempting to help   in other words, this is why people were denied counsel in such a brazenly unconstitutional way.If this doesn t tell you how little respect this autocratic administration has for our form of government and way of living, I don t know what will. This is a dictatorship unfolding right before our eyes.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images