January 4, 2019
The good news is President Trump is holding firm on his demand for $5.6 billion for the border wall. The bad news is Democrats are remaining intractable, and refusing to allow any funding for, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer phrased it, “Trump’s wall’. Not to be outdone House Majority Leader, Nancy Pelosi called the wall inhumane and immoral.
Shout out to Schumer- It’s not Trump’s wall! The American people voted for the wall when they elected Donald Trump; it’s the citizens’ of the United States wall!
There are three probable reasons for Democrats refusal to provide any funding for the border wall: they are engaging in political gamesmanship to harm Trump; they have moved so far to the left that they are now for open borders; they have realized that each new immigrant is more than likely another Democrat vote. Let’s go with choice (D) All of the above
A look Back in Time
In just 2006 many Democrats including, Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein, Ron Wyden, Debbie Stabenow, Sherrod Brown, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama believed that a physical barrier along our southern border was necessary, as they all voted for the Secure Fence Act, which stipulated construction of physical barriers along 600 plus miles of the nearly 2000- mile U.S. Mexico border. At the time Obama stated that a barrier would “‘help stem some of the tide of illegal immigration in this country.”
During a speech at an immigration policy conference, at Georgetown Law, in 2009, Schumer espoused views strikingly similar to Trump on border security and illegal immigration. Schumer stated that “illegal immigration is wrong, and a primary goal of comprehensive immigration reform must be to dramatically curtail future illegal immigration.”
He also criticized those that refer to illegal immigrants as undocumented workers, rather than illegal immigrants. Further, he actually praised the 630- mile border fence along the southern border which, according to Schumer in 2009, created a significant barrier to illegal immigration.
Why We Should Build a Wall
Pelosi, Schumer, and every other leftist lawmaker, and most of the media have claimed that a wall is not necessary. However, those with an actual informed nonpartisan opinion, the men and women on the front- line protecting our borders, border patrol agents, overwhelmingly support a wall along the U.S. Mexico border. According to a survey from the National Border Control Council 89% believe that a wall system is necessary.
The Chief of U.S. Border Patrol Carla Provost, in sworn testimony in front of a senate panel this past December stated that a border wall was crucial to the efforts of preventing Mexican drug cartels from entering our country. She stated that “As our adversaries are increasingly sophisticated we must invest in an upgraded border wall system to keep pace against the threat.”
Ronald Vitiello, the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. speaking recently on Fox’s “Special Report”, said that he was disappointed in lawmakers who claim that a wall isn’t necessary. Vitiello, who has 33 years experience working with border control, believes that agents need a wall. He stated that “agents need an enduring capability to slow people down as they come across that border.” “You always have a safer border where you have that barrier.” He added that “walls work”. They provide a “safer place to work”, and they “protect the country better.”
Vitiello added that there is an “unprecedented crisis” that “affects the security at the border” due to the amount of traffic flow. Not even including the thousands in the caravan, 2,000 people a day are apprehended illegally crossing into our country.
Just a few days ago Border Patrol agents had to resort to spraying tear gas at about 150 rock-wielding migrants attempting to illegally cross over the border into San Diego Vitiello expressed that infrastructure would have avoided this confrontation. According to Vitiello “The truth is walls work and the data show it and agents know it.”
Appearing at a news conference with President Trump yesterday Brandon Judd, a Border Patrol agent for 21 years, stated that after barriers were built along the border in Arizona illegal immigration dropped exponentially. He added that “anywhere you look where we have built walls they have worked.”
Ridiculously many on the left make the claim that a wall is not a modern solution in the age of technological advances such as drones. However, drones will only alert border patrol of the existence of trespassers, they do not prevent illegal migrants from crossing over our border, as a physical structure would. Barriers, such as walls and fencing are a necessary compliment to other security mechanisms.
A wall is only part of the solution to our illegal immigration problem. The other component is changing our dysfunctional immigration laws which incentivize migrants to abuse our asylum proceedings. Problematically, our laws require that every migrant claiming a “credible fear” from their home country, and all children entering from Central America, be granted an asylum hearing. Additionally, no child is allowed to be detained by Homeland Security for longer than 20 days.
These laws almost guarantee that most who come across our border making an asylum request will be allowed to gain entry pending an asylum hearing. This is especially true if an adult arrives with a child, or a child enters alone. Currently more than 800,000 migrants are living in the U.S awaiting their hearing, which because of the backlog can take up to three years from the time of entry. Unfortunately, once released into the country, many do not appear for their hearing. Of those that do appear 90% do not even qualify for asylum.
Underscoring what is encouraging migrants to arrive with children are the words of the 21- year -old step-sister of the 8- year-old Guatemalan boy, Felipe Gomez Alonzo, who tragically died of Influenza while in U.S. custody. According to Catarine Gomez Lucas, “we heard rumors that they could pass [into the U.S.]. “They said they could pass with children.” In addition, the father Agustin Gomez told news outlets that he came for opportunity and to make money to pay his mounting debts. Economic opportunity is not a valid reason to claim asylum under our laws.
Unfortunately, it is not just migrants looking for economic opportunity that are illegally crossing into our country. Almost all of the illegal drugs in the U.S. come through our southern border. Further, according to Homeland Security statistics Customs and Border Patrol arrested 17,000 convicted criminals last year; and ICE detained almost 4,000 known or suspected terrorists, along with thousands of gang members.
Just last week Ronil Singh, a California police officer, who legally immigrated to the U.S. from Fiji, was killed when he pulled over an illegal immigrant gang member with two prior criminal convictions. Sadly, California is comprised of sanctuary cities, where criminal illegal immigrants are often protected from deportation.
Tragically, Singh is only one from a long list of Americans murdered by an illegal alien who should never have been allowed to live in our country.
As a sovereign nation it is our right to carefully discern who is allowed entry. Laughably, Democrats claim that in spite of: objecting to a border wall, expressing a desire to abolish ICE, encouraging and supporting sanctuary cities, and believing that every unvetted person from an impoverished country has the right to enter our country, that they are not against border security.
The U.S spends more than $50 billion a year on foreign aid, yet Democrats will not allow the relatively paltry allocation of $5.6 billion, from a $4.4 trillion dollar budget, for infrastructure to secure our southern border. Underscoring that Democrats are not refusing funding because they care about the budget ,is the fact that the cost of closing down the government is expected to exceed the amount that Trump is requesting.
Trump is remaining resolute. After meeting with leaders of the Democrat party today Trump announced that he will keep the government shut down, which has now entered its 14th day, until funding for the wall is provided. Trump told reporters, “I don’t call it a shutdown. I call it doing what you have to do for the benefit and safety of our country.” He even mentioned that circumventing Congress is not off the table. Hopefully the Republican rank and file also put the welfare of our country first, and remain firmly behind our president.
