Dennis Wagner from the Arizona Republic has an article in today's paper that simply states the facts about securing the border with Mexico and immigration reform.
If it is so easy for anyone that reads this article to see the light, then why aren't Democrats shouting this message loud and clear to the American people?
Perhaps, as it always seems to be the case lately, corporate America doesn't really want this message disseminated among the Twittering masses?
Let's review.
Political rhetoric ignores border reality
'Secure first' calls ignore facts, undermine reform
Amid a growing national angst about illegal immigration, Americans keep hearing a chorus: Secure the border first. Then talk about immigration reform.
The idea appeals to public sentiment, and it seems like a simple demand.
But what do pundits and politicians mean?
Is a border secure only when no one crosses illegally and when no contraband slips through?
If some permeability is acceptable, what is the tolerable amount?
Political leaders mostly dodge those questions, and for good reason: Anyone with a minimal knowledge or understanding about the nearly 2,000-mile swath of land between Mexico and the United States realizes that requiring a secure border establishes an impossible standard.
One reason: There is no way to conclude success because authorities have no idea how many undocumented immigrants are getting through. Authorities can count only the number of unauthorized intruders captured. Such unavoidable uncertainty prevents any absolute assurances that no one is sneaking over, making declarations of victory impossible.
Another reason: The motivation and creativity of those trying to get across.
Impoverished Mexicans, willing to gamble their lives and savings to reach America, subject themselves to desert heat and extortion or torture by coyotes. Drug runners risk being caught and imprisoned or getting killed by competitors.
So the smugglers dig tunnels, create false compartments, bribe border guards, fly ultralight planes and use every means imaginable to get over, under or across the line. The more security there is, the higher the smuggling price and the greater the profit incentive.
It's a business, people! Note the word "profit" at the end of the last paragraph? It is a service industry business, no different than the hotel room service offered at at inflated prices and often delivered to your room by a person that has paid dearly to those that offer the service of getting them across the border to a place that they hope will allow them to make a living.
snip
Tom Barry, director of the Transborder Project at the Center for International Policy in Washington, D.C., said the demand for a completely secure border is a ploy by those opposed to immigration reform to prevent new policies.
"No matter how much enforcement you have, there will always be people coming through," he said. "Since that is true, opponents to immigration reform will always be able to say the border is still not secure . . . and therefore we cannot pass immigration reform."
At some point, the question becomes: How much border enforcement is necessary? Or enough?
David Shirk, director of the Transborder Institute at the University of San Diego, said the United States has more federal agents deployed along the Mexican line than at any time in the past century.
"It seems to me the argument can be made that we've gone as far as is reasonable," he said. "The border will never be secure enough for some people. . . . Politicians are using the idea of the border as a phantom and establishing an unreachable goal."
bolding courtesy of John McCain, Rush Limpbaugh, and The Republican Party
Of course it is a ploy. It's another hot
button issue that Republican Party uses to stir up racial tensions and fear, when all along they know that without the cheap labor provided by undocumented aliens their Corporate Whore benefactors would lose...... Profit!
There's that word again! It's like there is a common thread in here somewhere that I can't quite put my finger on...
Please take the time to read the entire article. There is MUCH more of importance that can be gleaned regarding Border Enforcement and Operational Control facts, as well as the favorite play in the Republican Playbook!
FEAR!
No matter how many federal troops and agents are on patrol, no matter how many sensors, cameras and fences are employed, many will try to sneak across the border, and some will succeed.
Each time that happens, opponents of immigration reform will be able to declare that the line is not defended, that America is not safe.
They appeal to patriotism, asking why the world's most powerful nation cannot protect its sovereign boundaries.
They appeal to fear, suggesting that terrorists potentially could mix in with the daily swarm of Hispanics heading north for opportunity.
Public passion is so high, said the Transborder Project's Barry, that no one does a cost-benefit analysis of border enforce- ment.
"Everybody is jumping on the border-security bandwagon, including moderate Democrats," Barry said. "It's not driven by anything real on the grid, not by violence or invasions of illegal immigrants . . . not based on any real assessment of threats to the nation."
Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik simply states, "I hear politicians on TV saying the border has gotten worse. Well, the fact of the matter is, the border has never been more secure."
That's the reality.