Image by Getty Images

Is Stephen Miller’s proclivity to stir up controversy and “trigger libs” behind the Trump administration’s policy to separate families?

An Atlantic profile last month dug into his propensity for inciting controversy and the role that may play in family separation policy.

In a previous interview with the Atlantic’s McKay Coppins, Miller said that he had seen “value” in “constructive controversy—with the purpose of enlightenment.” Coppins wrote that Miller is motivated not to persuade the public of his opinions, but to “agitate” them instead.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

As Coppins noted in his original interview with Miller, the White House advisor has long been a hardline immigration “restrictionist.” As an aide to then-Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2013, Miller worked voraciously to oppose a bipartisan immigration reform bill. And as Vox noted, Miller designed the original travel ban, another equally controversial measure that engendered massive protests.

Coppins suggested that the controversy, which is sweeping social media and drawing nationwide protests, is not a deterrent for Miller, but rather one of his aims: “For Miller, the public outrage and anger elicited by policies like forced family separation are a feature, not a bug.”

Miller has retained a hardline stance on the issue of family separation, and is looking towards an even harsher crackdown on immigration.

“No nation can have the policy that whole classes of people are immune from immigration law or enforcement,” Miller said in an interview with the New York Times.

Even as criticism and opposition to the family separation policy grows, Politico reported that Miller and other aides have been planning increased immigration raids and other actions in the lead-up to the 2018 midterms.

Juliana Kaplan is a news intern at The Forward. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter, @julianamkaplan

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount