MSNBC (Opinion)
By Steve Benen
May 28, 2015
Among
Republicans, certain basic truths are so widely understood, they’re not
even questioned. They know Obama increased the deficit. They know
“Obamacare” is government-run healthcare. And
they know the Obama administration has been woefully indifferent to
securing the border.
Of
course, all of these truths are plainly wrong – in fact, they’re the
opposite of reality – including that last one. The Washington Post has a
great piece this morning on the changing nature
of the debate about border security.
As the Department of Homeland Security continues to pour money into
border security, evidence is emerging that illegal immigration flows
have fallen to their lowest level in at least
two decades. The nation’s population of illegal immigrants, which more
than tripled, to 12.2 million, between 1990 and 2007, has dropped by
about 1 million, according to demographers at the Pew Research Center.
[…]
Homeland
security officials in the Obama and George W. Bush administrations –
who have more than doubled the Border Patrol’s size and spent billions
on drones, sensors and other technology
at the border – say enhanced security is driving the new trends.
R.
Gil Kerlikowske, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
told the Post, “We have seen tremendous progress. The border is much
more secure than in times past.”
To
be sure, it’s a complex picture, and the shifts in immigration trends
are probably the result of several overlapping changes, some of which
relate to security measures, some of which don’t.
That
said, when Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) argues that the Obama
administration and its allies are “refusing to secure our border,” we
know for certain that’s the opposite of what’s actually
happened.
And
when Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) insists that the U.S. border is “porous,”
and officials must “secure our own borders” to prevent “ISIS
infiltration,” I’m sure it’s a successful applause line
among partisan activists who don’t know any better, but it’s also the
sort of thing a politician says if he doesn’t know what he’s talking
about.
Greg
Sargent added this morning, “Apprehensions at the border are down, too.
Some experts think changes in Latin America, at least as much as
increased security, explain the drop. Either
way, this should shift a debate in which Republicans insist on
‘securing the border’ as a condition for reform.”
Agreed.
For months, congressional Republicans have blocked bipartisan,
comprehensive solutions by sticking to knee-jerk rhetoric: Congress
can’t even think about working constructively on
reform until the White House starts taking border security seriously.
But
the argument has long been based on ignorance – the Obama
administration has taken border security to levels the Bush/Cheney
administration never even considered. The results, for those
who choose to care, are undeniable.
So
where’s the accompanying shift in Republican rhetoric? Where’s the
acknowledgement from far-right ideologues that their demands have, for
all intents and purposes, already been met? Where
are the new talking points, revised to reflect some semblance of
reality?
At
a campaign event in New Hampshire last week, Jeb Bush was willing to
acknowledge, albeit indirectly, that border security is better under
President Obama than it was during his brother’s
tenure. Are other Republicans prepared to concede the same thing?
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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