Donald Trump: Border Security, Facts Matter

Member Group : Jerry Shenk

In a fact-filled January 8 presentation to the nation, President Donald Trump described the chaotic situation at America’s southern border as a national security, economic, and humanitarian crisis. The president wants congressional funding for physical barriers at porous border points and other legal and humanitarian priorities.

After saying, “America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation,” Mr. Trump calmly detailed the devastating realities of illegal immigration, including examples and statistics of drug and human trafficking, abused in-transit migrants, and threats to public safety. Trump spoke compassionately about Americans raped, murdered and brutalized by illegals, the plight of women “sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek,” children “used as human pawns” and the lack of facilities to handle the flow of illegals.

Trump: “[Wealthy American politicians who live behind them] don’t build walls because they hate the people on the outside, but because they love the people on the inside. The only thing that is immoral is the politicians who…allow more…people to be…horribly victimized.”

In December, the NY Times reported some ugly statistics:

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] said it arrested about 159,000 foreigners during the 2018 fiscal year…

“About 90 percent of the people arrested had criminal convictions, were facing pending criminal charges or had been previously issued a final deportation order…

“Officials said they…deported 256,085 people last year, [including] 5,914 undocumented immigrants…, 5,872 known or suspected gang members and 42 suspected terrorists….”

However, some violent illegals eluded ICE. The president detailed their atrocities.

In a fact-free response one internet wag described as “open mic night at the funeral home,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose pricy San Francisco home is walled, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made animatronic attempts at rebuttals. Both came across as petty, patronizing and partisan. Trump used the word “compromise” three times. Rather than naming their price, the Democrats labeled him “divisive.”

They mouthed the transparent falsehood that Democrats favor border security, only without walls, even though Trump had already conceded the acceptability of physical barriers for which congressional Democrats voted unanimously in 2013.

Pelosi/Schumer offered the usual assortment of Democratic generalities and platitudes about immigration, but their primary focus was the limited government shutdown that’s far more important to federal bureaucrats, a generally-reliable Democratic constituency, than to the general public, most of whom aren’t inconvenienced.

Predictably, less than 24 hours later, Pelosi repudiated Schumer’s laughable claim that Democrats would negotiate border security after Trump/Republicans relented and reopened the government. No matter. Nobody, including Schumer, believed that getting their way would suddenly transform intransigent Democrats into good faith negotiators anyway.

While President Trump talked about America, protecting Americans and discouraging the barbaric exploitation of in-transit migrants, Pelosi/Schumer talked about protecting government employees who hadn’t yet missed a paycheck.

Democrats could get/have gotten something in return for funding barriers, could end/have prevented the shutdown, and maybe convince(d) skeptics that Democrats really care more about Americans than about open borders, benefits and sanctuaries for illegal invaders.

Instead, Democrats chose…poorly.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/opinion/jerry-shenk-trump-border-security-facts-matter/article_a18b57ba-1859-11e9-bf43-83c54522a898.html