The Border Crisis - Children as Pawns?

[LA Ute]

It will be no big shock to anyone that I agree with Peggy Noonan:


Meanwhile some in the conservative press call the president incapable, unable to handle the situation. But he is not so stupid he doesn't know this is a crisis. He knows his poll numbers are going to go even lower next month because of it. He scrambled Wednesday to hold a news conference to control a little of the damage, but said nothing new.


There is every sign he let the crisis on the border build to put heat on Republicans and make them pass his idea of good immigration reform. It would be "comprehensive," meaning huge, impenetrable and probably full of mischief. His base wants it. It would no doubt benefit the Democratic Party in the long term.


The little children in great danger, holding hands, staring blankly ahead, are pawns in a larger game. That game is run by adults. How cold do you have to be to use children in this way?


http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-crisis-on-the-border-1405029753

[UTEopia]

The unfortunate truth is that both political parties are motivated by what makes the other party look worse than what needs to be and should be done to address the many issues facing our country. Neither party should be proud of their conduct over the past 8 years. The country has more problems, greater divisiveness and a bleaker future than at any time I can remember and it is mostly due to the unwillingness of the "leaders" to address issues, the far left and far right having much greater say in what happens than the middle and a middle that is more and more disenfranchised by the electoral process and the mind numbing drivel coming from the right and the left. I am sick and tired of people coming to the table only with criticism and no proposal for a viable solution. Do the republicans have a plan to address this issue? If so, I haven't heard it. They do seem to have plenty of criticism.

[LA Ute]

The way both parties have approached this issue disgusts me. My ties to Central Americans over the years have made me a supporter of a path to citizenship for those already here who are not felons. That makes me an "amnesty" guy to about 30% of the GOP who are just crazy stubborn on the issue. Their approach is both mean and foolish. The Dems, OTOH, just want to keep this issue alive as long as possible. They see votes for themselves in that strategy. Their approach is downright cynical. A plague on all their houses.

[USS Utah]

The Dems don't have to keep the issue alive to win presidential elections. Without immigration reform, the demographics will continue to turn against the GOP, perhaps even irrevocably. The "anything short of deportation is amnesty" idea is nothing short of foolishness.

From the "It would be funny if it weren't so sad" department, neither side really knows what is going on in the current "crisis" and the media isn't doing a thing to help anyone understand.

Link:

http://flattopshistorywarpolitics.yuku.com/topic/3101/Latest-Immigration-News-Blitz#.U8B2kEBCz_A

[#1 Utefan]

I support immigration reform but only after more and necessary steps are taken to better secure the border. What is going on right now is a direct result of Obama Administration rhetoric over the past several years of promising anyone that can get into this country a path to citizenship while doing nothing to increase border security. I personally have advocated and wanted a fence spanning the entire border for years. While this obviously won't solve the issue entirely, there is a hell of a lot more that can be done to better manage the situation then is being done currently.

Obama and the DNC's rhetoric on the issue may sound compassionate and score him and his party political points for elections, but without taking past due, significant steps to stop the hemorrhage of illegal immigrants swarming the border, immigration reform will only compound the problem exponentially and encourage millions more in Latin America to come here illegally. The worst part is Obama's unwillingness to do anything isn't for compassionate reasons. It is an obvious attempt to change the electoral map long term and turning key red states like Texas and Arizona blue.

I get the human side of this issue and treating everyone with compassion but who thinks the US has unlimited resources to just start absorbing so many largely unskilled illegal immigrants from these countries? We are already 17 trillion (and growing) in debt. The additional strain on the school systems, medical systems, and public programs will strain things even further.

The US already has one of the most liberal and inclusive legal immigration policies in the world. Everyone needs to remember, none of us could just go to Englajnd, Germany, France, Japan, or any other country illegally to work or live long term without permission and proper documentation or we would be deported. Immigration laws are not unique to the US, Every country in the world has and tries to enforce them for a reason.

I am all for legal immigration but much more has to be done to solve the ongoing problems at our border before continuing to send the message if you can just get here, you'll be taken care of.

[UTEopia]

I support immigration reform but only after more and necessary steps are taken to better secure the border. What is going on right now is a direct result of Obama Administration rhetoric over the past several years of promising anyone that can get into this country a path to citizenship while doing nothing to increase border security. I personally have advocated and wanted a fence spanning the entire border for years. While this obviously won't solve the issue entirely, there is a hell of a lot more that can be done to better manage the situation then is being done currently.

Obama and the DNC's rhetoric on the issue may sound compassionate and score him and his party political points for elections, but without taking past due, significant steps to stop the hemorrhage of illegal immigrants swarming the border, immigration reform will only compound the problem exponentially and encourage millions more in Latin America to come here illegally. The worst part is Obama's unwillingness to do anything isn't for compassionate reasons. It is an obvious attempt to change the electoral map long term and turning key red states like Texas and Arizona blue.

I get the human side of this issue and treating everyone with compassion but who thinks the US has unlimited resources to just start absorbing so many largely unskilled illegal immigrants from these countries? We are already 17 trillion (and growing) in debt. The additional strain on the school systems, medical systems, and public programs will strain things even further.

The US already has one of the most liberal and inclusive legal immigration policies in the world. Everyone needs to remember, none of us could just go to Englajnd, Germany, France, Japan, or any other country illegally to work or live long term without permission and proper documentation or we would be deported. Immigration laws are not unique to the US, Every country in the world has and tries to enforce them for a reason.

I am all for legal immigration but much more has to be done to solve the ongoing problems at our border before continuing to send the message if you can just get here, you'll be taken care of.


BS - The same immigration issues have existed for the past 20+ years through administrations from both parties. Neither party has an incentive to control the borders and both refuse to do anything; Republicans due to the desire for cheap labor and unwillingness to hit the businesses that rely on that illegal/cheap labor and the Dems due to a belief that it will give them more political power. They both use the issue as a talking point to rally their base.