Let me preface this diary by saying that I'm a firm believer in a comprehensive solution to our immigration and border problem. Too many who want to come to America to seek a better life are waiting for years on end, facing endless bureaucratic hurdles.
But this diary isn't so much about that, as to why I think many in this state support an abhorrent law such as SB1070, and use hyperbole to grab the attention of the 24 hour news cycle.
I'm not beyond seeing this problem from another angle, but here's what I am seeing today that has made me think twice about what we are currently doing to solve our decades-old problem.
If you're from Arizona, you've probably been subjected to so much conflicting information about the border that you're not quite sure who to believe anymore. I know I am. If you're not from Arizona, maybe you've heard about a lot of what I'm going to talk about. In either case, I think we can all agree on one point: The United States border with Mexico is a problem area that must be dealt to protect lives on both sides of the border.
Jan Brewers claims of headless bodies scattered about the Arizona desert are bunk. There's no denying that. But to say that the criminals who traffic drugs and/or immigrants across the border have no organized operations on this side of the border is equally false. I've heard plenty of things that I've written off as pure fantasy by right wingers. Including this guy saying cartels control parts of Pinal County:
They literally have scouts on the high points in the mountains and in the hills and they literally control movement. They have radios, they have optics, they have night-vision goggles as good as anything law enforcement has. -Paul Babeu
I mean, that seems just so far from what could possibly happen, right? Well, after actually looking into it, it turns out this has been going on since 2007, when the National Guard acknowledged the problem
here:
The spotters use GPS equipment, encrypted satellite radios and night-vision goggles to keep smuggling routes open
I thought I knew what was going on. I'm well informed, right? I live in Maricopa County- it's not the border by any means. My experiences in no way align with what I read from the wingers spouting on Fox.
Speaking of Fox - their favorite border-state governor recently said that the federal government put up warning signs on Interstate 8, near Gila Bend. Arizonans usually know Gila Bend by its caricature as a hillbilly town (which is not true- well, not completely true). I live only 30 miles away (north), and have known that area since I moved here nearly 20 years ago. Naturally, we here at DKos mocked Jan Brewer. I mean, the BLM wouldn't put up signs like that, would they?
Yep
(I had an image here, but can't seem to get it to come up right)
I can honestly say that I'm surprised. Or, more accurately, in disbelief. I knew we had a problem here. I knew that things weren't great, or even good, at the border. But to see that some of these Republican fear-mongering talking points actually based in reality....
What, honestly, can our party be doing to stop these criminals who have no regard for human life in pursuit of money? They set people who only dream of a better life out loose in the desert, some dying mere miles from the border. These people can't survive on a liter of water on a 120 degree day. It just isn't possible. We can try prosecuting them, but they just end up deported or draining our budget. When they get back across the border, they revert to their old ways. We can prosecute businesses that hire those here illegally to stem demand for jobs- but that's only half the problem. Drugs will still pour across. They are the cartels' real money train. Is immigration reform going to stop the flow of drugs? Should we wait until we can reach a comprehensive deal in order to drive the criminals out of this country?
These are the questions that keep coming in to my mind. I want anyone who wants to work to be able to come here without fear. I want those already here to come out of the shadows and enjoy the prosperity of this country, built on the drive of immigrants from around the world.
But I also want our country safe. I don't want people to be singled out because of the color of their skin. What I want is for our government - the government that can project its power anywhere in the world - to take a look at what is happening here at home, and just maybe, start to solve the problem we've been ignoring for quite a while.
I don't know what the solutions are. But I can say, I do know that our current course of action, doing nothing, isn't a solution in the least.
Feel free to leave your comments below- I just had to get this piece of my mind out there.
P.S.
If you have the time, I read this article about life at the border, and came away impressed with the non-alarmist tone. It was pretty even.