How did we get here? It used to be that a country was surrounded by a border that designated the limits of its control. This had nothing to do with just the United States, but every single country on the globe.
Whether that boundary was designated by signs, or a fence, or some sort of wall or, in some cases, armed soldiers – the intent was clear: This is the boundary that separates one nation from another. Stay in or stay out!
It’s not a bad idea, when you think of it. How else can a country keep control of its territory and keep the area safe for residents and the economy? Boundaries are a good idea, and they reinforce the value of what is being protected.
Having grown up on the East Coast, my only knowledge of the border of our country was what I read in books. Then I traveled “out West” and saw for the first time the border of our country and the foreign country, Mexico, that lay on the other side.
I admit, it was not impressive. As I stood in the Arizona desert, the dividing line between us and Mexico in that spot was a somewhat crumpled, barbed wire fence.
That was it. No signs. Just the fence. Certainly it was nothing that would stop anyone from crossing if that were the goal. It definitely gave the message that both sides of the “border” were there for the asking. Go or stay, and no one seemed to care. I never saw any law enforcement – police or Border Patrol – just a broken fence and varied cattle that crossed at will.
So much for security.
That was a number of years ago; it’s different now. Politics has intruded it’s ugly head in the issue of the Mexican border. Politicians debate the issue of who crosses and why and when and where and, perhaps most importantly, what happens to them when they are in this country.
There’s one main issue that is argued daily, yet it’s the most basic one to consider. Keep in mind that if people cross at will, on their own, into the United States and stay here for as long as they want – they become, by definition, “illegal aliens.”
Keep in mind, too, that those two words are traditional, legal words to describe a person who has broken our border law.
But times have changed. Words do not have their traditional meaning. We are now told we cannot use the word “illegal” to describe a person. Even the word “alien” is a no-no.
These people are, we are told, “migrants,” and politicians at every level tell us that they have a right to cross that border if they are leaving a situation in their home country that is not tolerable – or if they just want to get into the U.S. and take advantage of the “goodies” we can provide for a better life.
I’m not just talking about Mexico. The fact is the border is being crossed by people from across the world. Don McLaughlin, mayor of Uvalde, Texas, says his town is “overrun with illegals from 59 different countries – from China, South America, Cuba, the Middle East and Africa, just to name a few.” That, plus “an international cartel smuggling operation” and that means people dealing in human smuggling, drugs and weapons.
Now that President Biden has eliminated all of the attempts by President Trump to curb illegal movement across the border, including ending the construction of a wall, the numbers of illegals crashing across the border has increased dramatically – estimates are that in February alone, 92,000 crossed. Estimates are that 565 unaccompanied children cross daily. Illegal aliens get in, go where they please and, even if they are apprehended, there is no COVID testing; they’re soon released. President Biden refuses to call the situation a “crisis.”
I have family and many friends in Cochise County, Arizona, right on 83 miles of the border. I know the sheriff, Mark Dannels. He’s spoken openly to the media and also with me. He said the situation has only gotten worse under the changes made in Washington. He’s called it “chaos” – people crossing, human trafficking, smuggling and violence – to say nothing of the COVID health risks.
He told me that the impact of the open-border policy of the Biden administration erodes the “rule of law,” which impacts every American. From his vantage point, the border is wide open, and the government isn’t doing anything to stop the chaos.
It’s a problem not only for law enforcement, but also for average U.S. citizens. I know what my friends tell me of illegals crossing their land, stealing property, stealing cattle and other farm animals and presenting dangers for the residents, especially at night.
As Dannels told me, “The direct impact endured by local communities on the border continue to be a challenge.”
He said, “Failures by this administration to actively engage with state and local leadership and stakeholders have created great frustration and confusion.”
Dannels continued, “As a tenured law enforcement professional, it’s unreasonable and reckless to place ‘politics’ over ‘public safety.’ Only time will truly measure the rushed decisions by this administration to fulfill their ideologies on the back of Americans’ quality of life and safety.”
He calls the border situation in his county a “crime scene” – chaotic and wide open, and it’s not getting better. He’s very concerned with the health aspect of this – no testing being done as illegals are released into communities. He says, “Its almost like we’re not part of the country.”
As far as the administration is concerned, the goal is to legalize all the illegals in this country. Knowing that, the drug cartels profit from herding thousands more to cross the border, reaping profits from drugs and firearms as well as what the illegals pay them.
It does make you wonder whose side the politicians are on.
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