United States | Of judges and journeys

Will the courts let Donald Trump build his wall?

Even if they do, this will not fix what ails the border

|SAN DIEGO AND SILVER SPRING

A FEW HOURS after Donald Trump tweeted about “the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country”, Carmen sat in a church office in suburban Maryland, quietly sobbing. Five years ago she and her son, who was then three, fled from El Salvador and her violent husband. “It’s difficult to leave your country,” she says. “You have your family and your friends. Your whole life is rooted there. But when it comes to your child’s safety, I don’t think there is anything a mother wouldn’t do.” They crossed Guatemala, Mexico and the Rio Grande before presenting themselves to immigration cops in New Mexico. After being detained, she applied for asylum, and was released to await a hearing. She is still waiting.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “The master builder”

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