The contentious immigration debate has been at center-stage for the past few weeks, with the American public embroiled in discussions about refugees, border security, detention centers and the separation of immigrant kids from their parents.

While the immigration debate rages on, much of the GOP pressure on the Mueller investigation has subsided. Prior to the latest controversy about separating minors from their parents in detention centers, the Republican public relations offensive led by Rudy Giuliani against the Department of Justice, Rod Rosenstein and Robert Mueller had seemed to be yielding results. Opinion polls had started to show that an increasing number of Americans were getting tired of the non-stop coverage of alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election and possible obstruction of justice by President Trump. Additionally, revelations of an anti-Trump bias by a few FBI investigators gave credence to the president’s allegations that the Special Counsel’s investigation is nothing more than a “witch-hunt” or a conspiracy by the “deep-state” to overturn the will of the American people. Essentially, the pressure was on Robert Mueller to wrap up the investigation before September.

However, the latest debate about immigration has overshadowed the Republican effort (not to mention the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un). This no doubt has given the DOJ, Rod Rosenstein and Robert Mueller a precious break to further prolong the investigation away from the critical eyes of the GOP and their allies in the media.

As president Trump continues to make controversial comments about illegal “invaders’ who “infest” America, Robert Mueller is able to continue his investigation without much of the scrutiny that the president’s allies have subjected him to over the past few months. While an argument can be made that the president is solidifying his standing with his core base on the matter of illegal immigration, it seems he is also giving his opponents a big break to continue their investigation more and more closely to the midterm elections.