DACA/ DREAMERS Background Information: …..Reported numbers of DACA immigrants is somewhere around 500,000. The DREAMER numbers are higher and are said to be around 3.5 million. The DACA issue that we hear being negotiated has to do with a set of immigrants brought here as children and registered as DACA immigrants. They were granted temporary waivers to stay under the Obama administration until the deadline which is this March. The larger group, the DREAMERS, are also undocumented immigrants brought here as children but tend to be older and also are not registered in the DACA program.
The Innocent Immigrants: The issue of passing legislation to legalize the DACA group, and then also the DREAMER group is going to happen. We will pass a law or laws to take care of these people who were largely brought here as children but who are now almost all adults. Through no fault of their own they were illegally brought here by their parents and or families and grew up knowing only America as their home. No groups of illegal immigrants has a better right to an amnesty then do these two groups.
The Problem: The snag here is that we now have a Republican President, Donald Trump, who ran a campaign that included the promise to make America safer by securing our borders through the building of a wall, increase in border patrol agents, and improved security throughout. He also promised to fix our immigration system by ending chain immigration and the lottery as well as selecting immigrants based on merit….what skills and talents will they bring to America to make our country a better nation. For some reason the Democrats insist on having DACA passed without letting the President include the changes he requires to achieve his security goals. The logic of these two things being linked is undeniable. Failure to fix the system of immigration will only lead to more DACA kids and future amnesties needed as well a continued lack of focus on controlling who is allowed to immigrate into America. The politics of polarization is at work here as the Democrats are eying the coming mid-term elections where they hope tp regain a majority in either the House or the Senate.
The Right Thing To Do: The right thing to do is for the Democrats to give the President what he needs to fix the immigration system as well as the money to build the wall and greater security system. The Democrats must know that failure to do this will lead to another disaster in the mid-term elections. The reality is building a wall, controlling our border, and standardizing our immigration system is good for everyone, both citizens and immigrants.
The Lie: The picture painted by the Democrats opposing the wall and the other issues is that we will close off Mexico. Anyone who lives in a border region knows this is both wrong and ridiculous. San Diego’s, San Ysidro border crossing is the busiest border crossing in the world. Thousands of people commute and travel back and forth every day. Many Mexicans living in Mexico have visas and work permits and come over to work in the U.S., preferring to live in their own country Mexico. We also have many Americans living across the border as well who commute daily to work.
San Diego Has a Fence (a wall really): and it is very effective in helping control the illegal, and criminal, elements from easily crossing into the United Sates. I do not think improving the wall along other parts of the border, where the Cartels clearly cross drugs and people freely, is anything other than a necessary and smart thing to do. I would also be remiss if I did not mention that last year in Tijuana, Mexico, minutes from San Diego, there were over 1700 murders….most of which were Cartel related. Do you think the citizens of San Diego want the current wall removed? Not in their lifetimes!
The Money For The Wall: President Trump promised during the campaign that Mexico will pay for the wall. He refers to the $71 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico, and NAFTA on the table for renegotiation, as the means to ultimately have Mexico foot the bill, either directly or indirectly.
After watching the economy and stock market reach record highs this past year and companies like Apple bringing back off shore money and opening new plants here in America, as well as the tax cuts for all Americans….why should we doubt the Presidents claim. Regarding the amount of money he is requesting, it is not a lot when you start looking at how many projects spend billions and billions in the government sphere.
10 Billion People: By mid 2030 or so the planet’s population will have grown from the current 7.5 billion people to a profound 10 billion people, all trying to live, work, and prosper. There is no question by that time America better be strong, prosperous, and have solid control of her borders. The suggestion President Trump’s goals are anything but that of a forward thinking, practical, business minded visionary is denying the reality of what he has already accomplished. The problem for the Democrats and the Liberal Media is that the President is not a politician. He is a builder….. and for him the only measure of success will be in his Making America Great and Safe again!
Do The Right Thing: I urge our politicians, on both sides of the aisle, to simply quit the lies, get back to work, and simply “do the right thing”. This is a win win for both sides…. and most importantly, for these DACA and DREAMER immigrants.