Borders
have existed since time immemorial. It’s part of our DNA -- to mark off the
spaces between us – and the others. We
create borders for personal, political, social, economic, health, and security
reasons. We fix boundaries between our home and our neighbors’
-- subtly, even subconsciously -- with vegetation, driveways, rock piles, etc… and, of course, a legal document. Finally, and most importantly, we expect these borders, once established, to be secure and
respected. In that regard, our southern border with Mexico is a joke.
Many
call it “porous, but “porous” seems a bit disingenuous, considering that at
least 11 million illegal immigrants have already crossed that border and are
now living in the United States. Tens of
thousands more enter illegally every month.
Our border isn’t porous. It’s
wide open. So far this year 90,700
illegals have crossed that border and entered the U.S. That’s double the number for
the sam e period last year, and
numbers are expected to increase further in 2015. Among this year’s illegals are 60,000 unaccompanied
children (UC) from Central American countries.
That number is expected to reach 100,000 before the end of 2014 and to
climb higher in 2015. To what do we owe
this great success? The U.S. Government.
.jpg%2Bwelcvome%2Bmat.jpg)
In 2008 -- when
our economy was already depressed economically and hundreds of thousands of
people were out of work – Congress passed the “Trafficking Victims Protection
Authorization Act, which provides asylum to
Unaccompanied Children (UC) from Central America whose lives are in
danger. These children, upon arriving in
the U.S, are asked by border agents if they are afraid of being killed in their
home country. If the answer is “yes,”
then an appointment is made with an immigration judge who decides the veracity
of the claim. If the judge finds the claim believable, the
UC can stay.
The recent onslaught
of tens of thousands of illegals has overwhelmed border staffing and created such
a backlog of petitioners that it could take years for a UC to get a hearing (This
is a deliberate and successful strategy!).
Meanwhile, agents have no choice but to place these children in the
custody of family and friends. To date: 85%
of all “fear” claims have been approved, which may explain why these petitions have
tripled since 2012….
The WELCOME MAT grows
cushier and plusher…
… as the Obama administration defers
deportation of more than 500,000 illegals and hints it might grant amnesty to
as many as 5 million.
Which
begs the question: why would anyone
bother to immigrate legally when there are only incentives for entering
illegally and deterrents for legal applicants?
Whereas 98% of all illegals enter relatively quickly, can expect immunity,
get a green card or visa within three years and U.S. citizenship within thirteen, the
legal applicant could easily wait up to fifteen years to enter and 25 for
citizenship. According to U.S. Representative
Jim Sensenbrenner, our current immigration policy is holding skilled workers hostage
to comprehensive immigration reform. (What about the rest of us?)
And while our
Government acts as a giant magnet, attracting illegals to the U.S. , their home countries do everything
they can to facilitate their departure -- equipping them with directions, maps
and guides to the border. And who can
blame them? Mexico ’s
second largest source of foreign revenue -- approximately $20 billion a year --
comes from Mexicans working in the U.S. who send money back home to
their families. Never a good deed goes unpunished:
think Andrew Tahmooressi, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and returned home with PTSS, made a
wrong turn en route to California and entered Mexico . For 214 days he was held in captivity under
rude and crude conditions, beaten by guards, and chained to his bed post, naked, for nine hours. With friends like that, who needs enemies?
Adding fuel to the
illegal immigration fire is the influx of gang members, terrorists, drug and
sex traffickers. This summer, 14 members
of Mara Salvatruccha (MS-13), one of the world’s most notorious transnational
criminal gangs, tried to enter the U.S. They were apprehended at the border, but not
because of any brilliant investigative work by agents. While waiting to be processed, members painted
gang-related graffiti on walls of the center.
But don’t relax! For every illegal
interviewed and given a “pass,” three illegals pass unseen over the border and
disappear. (Government Accountability
Office) This might explain why MS-13 has gained a
major foothold in the U.S, continues to expand its influence, and why gang memberships
have increased in the past ten years from 200,000 to one million. (Michael Sullivan, Director of the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives)
Islamic terrorists
have also taken note of our hospitality.
In August of this year the Texas Department of Public Safety and
Homeland Security alerted federal agents that Islamist terrorist groups operating
in Mexican border towns were exploiting weaknesses (are there any strengths?) at
the border. On October 8th
Homeland Security confirmed that ten (10) ISIS and Al Qaeda terrorists had been
apprehended in Texas by federal authorities
but that another 40 had slipped into the U.S. Recent intelligence confirms that terrorist
groups are planning attacks on the U.S. with car bombs and other
vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED). Border states
are on high alert, and Ft.
Bliss
ISIS and Al Qaeda are not the only
terrorist groups eyeing our southern border.
In 2013 290 illegal Somalis entered the U.S. Of these, three have
subsequently been found guilty of providing support for Al Shabab.
Carriers of
scabies, lice, and chicken pox have been crossing the border for years, and now
it’s possible that Ebola will become part of the mix. (Pew Research
Center Rio Grande
Valley
The Department of
Homeland Security blames Obama’s lax immigration policies for the country’s
inability to stop terrorists from entering the U.S. “He and his administration have announced to
the world they will not enforce our immigration laws.” (U.S. Senator Jeff
Sessions).
So why IS our
southern border still wide open? Why
aren’t illegals deported? And why hasn’t
the security fence -- approved by Congress in 2006 -- been completed?
THE BOTTOM WHINE: Illegals
experience no negative consequences for breaking the law –only rewards, which
is why Albert Spratte of the National Border Patrol Council observes: “We used to chase after them (the illegals). Now they chase after us.”
Whiningly
yours, Carol
The one question I always have about these numbers....if these people are crossing illegally, they must be doing it unseen. If that is the case, how does anyone know how many there are?
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