Friday, March 8, 2019

What Will It Take To Restore Honor?


The President of the United States has declared a national emergency on our Southern border.  He justifies this by claiming that we are being invaded by masses of terrorists and drug dealers who are threatening the security of our nation.  That is a serious concern indeed.  Or is it?

We have yet to see evidence that supports Trump’s delirious claims.  I wonder how many weapons have been confiscated by border security from those who are being contained.  The fact is weapons are being smuggled out of the United States, not into it, according to the Associated Press.

“A 2013 report by the University of San Diego says the number of firearms smuggled from the United States was so significant that nearly half of American gun dealers rely on that business to stay afloat. On average, an estimated 253,000 firearms each year are purchased in the United States expressly to be sent to Mexico, the report said, the vast majority of the sales originating in the border states of California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.”

Lisa Marie Pane

The Associated Press

September 30, 2018

And what about drugs?  How many drugs have been found in the possession of the illegal immigrants?  The Federal government’s records show that most of the drugs entering the United States come through the legal ports of entry. 

It is essential to understand how many people we are talking about who are seeking to enter the United States illegally.  The Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports that in 2018 there was an average of 42,000 people in custody on any given day.  Of that number, 15,000 were children under the age of 18.  These minors were also separated from their parents and held in different facilities.

There is no denying that this represents a serious concern.  However, it is not a threat to our national security.  Rather, it is a humanitarian problem that needs to be addressed in a rational and humane way.  Many of those being detained are seeking asylum.  United States law allows people to apply for asylum for anyone who has suffered persecution, or who fear they will suffer persecution, due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political opinion, according to the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Those who seek asylum may remain in the United States while their application is considered.  This includes persons who attempt to enter the country through ways other than the legal ports of entry.

At least this is how it is supposed to work.  However, once again the Trump Administration plays by a different set of rules.  Since then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a “zero tolerance policy” toward illegal immigrants even those who seek asylum are now treated as criminals.  Children are separated from their parents and all are locked up in detention prisons to await deportation.  I do not get it!  The United States of America is morphing into a police state.  Fear is driving our national activity and shaping our policy.  This fear is unfounded but is promoted from the highest powers within the land - - the White House.  And the Republican Party has crumbled into a bunch of cowering puppets who are terrified to hold their rogue President accountable.  There are individual exceptions but they are powerless against the majority within the GOP.

Let’s get realistic here.  Is there a crisis?  Yes.  Is this crisis a security threat to our nation?  No!  This is a humanitarian crisis caused by the Executive Branch of our government.  Kirstjen Nielson, Secretary of Homeland Security, oversees the agency responsible for supervising immigration.  Her recent appearance before the House Homeland Security Committee on March 6, 2019 was most revealing.  In her testimony it became painfully obvious that Nielson either is determined to deceive Congress and the American public by refusing to answer questions and defying our laws, or she is woefully ignorant of what is happening at the border.  Either way she proves herself to be incompetent and unqualified for her job.  Consider these takeaways from her testimony under oath, as reported by CNN.

·         On children in custody: Nielsen said she didn't know how many children are in Customs and Border Protection custody.

·         On Trump's national emergency: She defended President Trump's national emergency declaration despite his claim he "didn't need to" do it.

·         On terrorists entering the US: Nielsen confirmed that most terrorists were stopped while trying to fly to US — not at the border.

·         On zero tolerance: Nielsen defended the administration's "zero tolerance" policy, which called for the criminal prosecution of adults crossing the border illegally and, as a result, the separation of families. 

·         On the dangerous journey to the US: Every girl over 10 who crosses the border is given a pregnancy test, Nielsen said.

·         On family separations: She said family separation wasn't intended to be a deterrent despite leaked memos.

·         On drugs at the border: Nielsen said she didn't have numbers on drugs coming through border.

·         On cybersecurity: The current cybersecurity threat is “blinking red” and is possibly the "highest threat" to the US homeland, she said.



For the life of me I cannot understand how Republicans in Congress can possibly continue playing dead in the path of this Administration’s absurdities.  There are exceptions, thankfully, and opposition is beginning to mount.  But it is slow in coming.  One has to wonder what it will take to restore honor and responsibility to our national identity.



G. D. Gehr

March 8, 2019


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