The issues at the core of immigration, the caravan scare, and Trump’s wall are not that complicated. You may disagree with one solution or another, but it’s clear that Democrats and Republicans can solve this problem quickly and easily once the political will is there. I believe that after they agree on facts, political will can build, and a solution will follow.
There are many aspects to immigration, but let’s limit this article to the following four issues that represent the core issues driving the debate on a Trump-like wall:
- legal immigration policy,
- controlling undocumented residents (e.g. overstaying a legal Visa),
- controlling non-violent illegal immigration,
- fighting violent criminals within illegal immigration.
First, my opinion just so you know my viewpoint. I don’t care what our immigration policy is so long as our policy is consistent and stops those stoking racism.
1. Legal Immigration Policy
Those that don’t like our immigration policy, and are not racists are mostly concerned with illegal immigration. They may want to tweak immigration law too, but their focus, as it should be, is on illegal immigration.
After all,
“…immigration law can be changed through Congress.”
One of the few problems with legal immigration are the attacks on immigrants themselves. To sow hate, some call them dirty disease carrying criminals that are a tax on our economy. If this fear is true, then we should allow very few immigrants.
That accusation begs the question:
Are Immigrants Generally Good or Bad?
This is an easy question to answer and the facts are settled. All the statistics indicate immigrants create more jobs, commit fewer crimes, and contribute more to our society than American born citizens. It’s a lie to say they bring germs, diseases, crime, and strain our economy. The exact opposite is true.
Where did this stereotype come from?
This stereotype is rooted in racism, but it also has a foundation in reality. Disease ridden Europeans including Pilgrims and Puritans immigrated and invaded Native American lands and introduced smallpox and other diseases. Newly introduced diseases killed 90% of Native Americans before 1700. If the worst plague in the history of mankind had not wiped out 90% of Native Americans, the battle for the territory that is now the United States would have unfolded much differently.
The personal hygiene of Europeans was foul smelling. Europeans at the time thought bathing made you sick and were amazed by the Native Americans interest in personal cleanliness. Native Americans viewed Europeans as dirty and smelly. Contrary to common misconceptions, Native Americans were cleaner, stronger, more athletic, and better looking than Europeans. Native Americans thought Europeans were physically weak, sexually untrustworthy, atrociously ugly, and dumb compared to themselves.
Today we know better. Land-locked humans with unknown diseases do not exist anymore.
Moral Obligation
In my mind “bible verses” and how our ancestors might have arrived here, and when, is not relevant to the discussion. With that said, I don’t understand some religious folks on the right who claim the bible is their authority, and argue against helping others.
Here is a poignant meme floating around social media that seems appropriate at this point of this article:
Bible: I was hungry and you gave me food
Matthew 25:35-40 New King James Version (NKJV)
35: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37: “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Asylum Seekers
Now, what about asylum seekers? First, border officials must listen to those claiming asylum because of international law that is part of the Geneva convention, and the right thing to do. Our American law currently follows international conventions. We can change or tweak our laws, but border officials must follow them until we do. After we listen, we accept them, detain them, or turn them back.
“Border officials must listen to those claiming asylum because of international law that is part of the Geneva convention, and the right thing to do.”
Trump tried to change asylum seekers slightly through an unconstitutional executive order proclamation. Under Trump’s proclamation, foreigners would still be allowed to request asylum if they present themselves at ports of entry. But the presidential directive would have forbidden those who enter illegally from doing the same. My personal opinion is that I don’t care about this change. If we as a society wish to change our immigration policy, we can, but it must go through our Constitutional political process.
UPDATE: On Nov 20, 2018, a Federal judge ruled against Trump saying the President is not allowed to rewrite immigration law. The constitution gives the power to make and change laws to Congress. Not the president. The Supreme Court upheld this lower court decision in a 5-4 vote in Dec 2018.Â
Another tweak Trump wants to change is domestic violence victims–a hot topic right now. My preference is to allow domestic violence victims to apply for asylum, but that is not an act of the Government, nor generally an overwhelming threat like warlords, and cartels. So, if we as a society want to eliminate that, I think most would still support a bill. I think the same is true for smaller local gangs.
Strong Border Wanted By All
About 63% of voters oppose a Trump-like wall. Broad political support does not exist for it. So little support that even when Republicans were in charge of everything in 2017/18, they couldn’t build one foot of his version of the wall. Expecting Democrats to compensate for the lack of will in the Republican party will never work and is just playing the blame game where it’s not deserved.
Experts on immigration say the wall will do very little for both professional criminals, nor undocumented residents.
“Democrats are for a strong border too. But, the wall is expensive, impossible to build, and would not do very much even if we could build it.”
Republicans are in charge and can do anything. Rather than leading the discussion pushing for their views and changing law, they sow racism, division, and general anger. That's a problem. We are not talking about the details of the current policy and debating what to change.
— Mike A Prestwood (@TouchstoneTruth) November 5, 2018
2. Controlling Undocumented Residents
An undocumented resident is someone who entered the country legally, but overstayed (e.g. overstaying a legal Visa). More than 40% of illegal+undocumented are actually undocumented residents that overstayed their Visa. They are NOT breaking any laws so are NOT illegal.
The term illegal alien is more appropriate for when someone illegally immigrates here breaking our laws. All of us are law-n-order citizens. If someone breaks the law, hammer time. However, it has never been illegal to overstay your visa, which is why the undocumented resident term is needed. There is no civil or criminal penalty for overstaying a Visa, or even for physically being in America without documentation; non-citizens without a current Visa cannot be incarcerated or fined. They can be deported, and prevented from getting another Visa, but that’s all.
“An undocumented resident is someone who entered the country legally, but overstayed…The term illegal alien is more appropriate for when someone illegally immigrates here breaking our laws.”
Careful what you ask for!
We can pass a law to punish non-citizens without a current Visa, but please think hard about this before you advocate for this.
Right now, ICE authority extends 100 air miles from all borders including the coasts. That encompasses about 2/3 of the population. They can question anyone. They have guidelines in the form of reasonable suspicion for detaining and questioning you, but their authority is not part of the follow-up immigration status hearing. Right now, ICE officers do not need probable cause to detain you and hold you over for an immigration status hearing where the only question is are you an American citizen, or do you have a current Visa.
If we want a law for undocumented residents and illegal aliens, we can pass one, but I think it’s correct now. If we had such a law, you would need reasonable suspicion to detain and question someone. You would need probable cause in order to make an arrest. During the trial, reasonable suspicion and probable cause would be adjudicated. The arresting officer can either prove probable cause or not. If we change the law to make undocumented residents illegal, a police officer would have to have reasonable suspicion that a crime was committed.
E-Verify: The Undocumented Residents Solution
Most agree that undocumented residents should not be allowed to legally work. That will be fixed with eVerify Enforcement which is something both parties say they support. Once the political will is in place, eVerify enforcement will pass easily. Many believe the time for eVerify is coming. Gradually pressure is mounting and perhaps will be passed by 2026.
I personally believe you’ll know politicians are serious when they implement eVerify enforcement either by itself or as part of comprehensive immigration reform. That’s the ONLY thing needed to fix the undocumented resident problem. And, it’s not very expensive. Think about it. If someone arrives legally, overstays their visa, or comes here illegally, they cannot work! You might have a young child, aunt, or grandmother living in the home of legal Americans, but so what. No harm, no foul. And, they are still an undocumented resident subject to deportation if they get caught. For example, if they break “any” law at all.
Nearly all politicians on both sides know eVerify enforcement would take away all incentive for illegal immigration. Remember 40% or more of all undocumented residents here right now and historically came legally, then overstayed their visa, then slipped into the shadows. Many by plane and boat too. If we do eVerify enforcement, they have very little reason to stay. Problem solved. Taxes collected. No competition for jobs from the undocumented.
“Nearly all politicians on both sides know eVerify enforcement would take away all incentive for illegal immigration.”
You can verify this just by reading about the history of eVerify. For example, because farmers use undocumented workers and their politicians represent them, those politicians, Democrat or Republican, fight against eVerify. Because farmland is mostly represented by Republicans, it appears that Republicans don’t like eVerify more than Dems, but I think it’s more about who they represent and less about the party.
3. Controlling Non-Violent Illegal Immigration
To immigrants, we look better than death. Most of those people are trying to get away from something bad.
Here’s a fairly unknown fact.
We do NOT have an overall border problem.
Did you know…
Obama deported more undocumented than any other president…Canada takes in more immigrants than America both by percentage of the population and by raw numbers!
Did you know we have a net negative immigration flow since 2015?
“Illegal immigration is at a 40 year low. It went from 1.6 million in 2000 down to less than 400k in 2018.”
4. Fighting Violent Illegal Immigrants
The big scary emotional issue is fighting violent criminals within illegal immigration. If we don’t have an overall border problem, is there a problem? Yes, we have a law enforcement problem. Rather than spending $25 to $50 billion on a wall that the true criminals will find a way around, how about we spend a billion a year fighting MS13 and other criminals directly? Most believe it would not take a billion and would work better.
The Solution —Â American Agreement!
What’s the solution right now? About 79% of Americans want a comprehensive immigration bill that solves problems.
Something like…
1. E-Verify which would prevent nearly 100% of undocumented people taking American jobs,
2. border security better than a Trump-like wall to control illegal border crossing,
3. a path to citizenship for DACA so we don’t have to waste money and cause chaos on a Gestapo-like military force,
4. the rest of the undocumented and illegal couldn’t work and would get deported if and when discovered. For example, if they break a law.
The Freedom Caucus is the Problem, Bipartisan Bills in 2006 and 2013
I think no article is complete without naming the real problem: the Freedom Caucus. Republicans were fully in charge for 2017/18, and they could have passed a clean eVerify enforcement bill or negotiated a comprehensive bill any time they wanted. They didn’t. You really need to ask yourself why?
“Everything Republicans try is too far right so that even moderate Republicans cannot support their ideas. Or, a solution includes Dems and the far right will not allow them to be left out.”
The Senate in both 2006 and 2013 passed bipartisan immigration bills. Both times, the Republican lead house refused to even vote on them. Why? Because they would have passed with bipartisan support, but the far right threw a fit and wouldn’t allow a vote. The far right is the problem, started by Newt Gingrich, continued by Trump.
The 2013 bill under Obama even had border security! Obama’s 2013 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act contained the needed $750 million for eVerify enforcement, and border security including more wall where experts said it was needed. It passed the Senate on a bipartisan 68-32 vote on June 27, 2013. The Republican lead house refused to vote on it because of the far-right Freedom Caucus.
Obama’s bill directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit two reports on border security strategy, including one on where fencing, infrastructure, and technology should be used; authorized the use of the National Guard to help secure the border; called for an increase in the number of Border Patrol agents at the southern border, and other border security measures.
The Dream Act, DACA, and Trump Lies
Typical complaint: DACA get free college that we pay for and that’s wrong. They are illegal people that should be deported.
Reply…
Yes, I 100% agree with the fact that DACA college tuition is paid for by all of us INCLUDING DACA folks themselves. Yes. Agreed. No debate there at all.
And, here’s a fact most of us acknowledge, including most Republicans…
Although Congress has yet to pass the Dream Act, it is still under consideration and most Republicans support it.
And…
President of the United States Barack Obama brought us DACA. Terminating DACA rather than finding a compromise was cruel and racist. If those folks were white, your side would have at least found a compromise to honor the previous president’s promise to a set of Americans here in America.
I think you and I see things differently, but it would help if you would use words correctly. I honestly feel that if you used words with their correct definitions you would see that you and I are actually almost on the same page. No one is arguing with you. We may support slightly different immigration policies, but they are not that far apart. What my side STRONGLY objects to is all the lying for the purpose of dividing and “team”. It’s we-the-people here in America.
Specifically, when you dabble into the word “illegal” that is where people who disagree with your slightly different stance on immigration object to what you say.
DACA are undocumented people, not illegal. They were brought here by their parents. Yes, their parents may or may not have entered illegally, but neither are “illegal”. There is a difference between those that illegally entered America, and the undocumented. You choose to conflate and ignore those distinctions in an attempt to persuade others.
Reality Matters — Democracy requires truth!
How do you negotiate with someone who does not agree with reality? You don’t. It’s nearly impossible. Trump likes conspiracies and he believes what he believes and he refuses to read or even take his Presidential Daily Briefing. The reason Republicans did not give him an immigration solution while they were in charge is that they couldn’t figure out what he wanted–they even said so–on camera.
One of the problems I have with Trump is he has a tendency to say all things on all issues. Meaning, he says something that you like, then something others like, but the two are mutually exclusive.
For example…
Schrodinger's Wall…
Today Trump said much of the wall is built. Recently he said it was already built. I think the truth is that Trump has not built one new foot.
Trump's Schrodinger Wall: a wall that is simultaneously not started, started, and finished.
— Mike A Prestwood (@TouchstoneTruth) February 14, 2019
I think the truth is…
“The wall is not built, not even started, and Mexico will not pay for it.”
Unfortunately, I don’t think a solution can pass while Trump Republicans have control of either house. For two years, Republicans had the Presidency + house + Senate + 63% of Republican governors. They could have done anything they wanted, but what they chose to do just made the problem worse.
Trump policies have failed. No wall.
Kids in cages. We are spending too much money on cages and concentration camps. We look stupid to the world. We are acting un-American.
Make Lies Wrong Again!
Many on the right purposely confuse others using disingenuous discussion tactics because they want their way and have no real interest in discussing these issues and learning what the “majority” of Americans want. We live in a democracy and when “we the people” understand this issue with all variables honestly put on the table, they are for tightening the border with recommendations from experts, treating DACA folks similar to citizens and providing them with a path to citizenship, and treating the undocumented and illegal here already humanely and consistent with what other countries do. Those on the right are against what most Americans want. That’s ok, but they are in the minority and have to result to lies, deception, and conflation to win arguments.
Additional Notes and Clarifications
Valid Immigration Questions:
There are many valid immigration questions. Here are a few:
- Are you okay with chain migration if an American marries a foreigner? Trump married a foreigner, then brought her parents over. That’s chain migration. Are you ok with that?
- What about legal immigration chain migration? If someone immigrates here legally, after a period of time and with some hoops, they are allowed to bring immediate family: parents, spouse, and children. Are you okay with that?
- In both cases above, would you be okay with grandparents? Brothers and sisters? Cousins?
- How are you going to handle eminent domain?
Interesting Facts
- The wall exists in many places now and much of it is NOT on the border. One of the things happening right now is that South American citizens are approaching the wall, stepping on American soil, and asking for asylum. All before the wall. It’s illegal for them not to process an asylum request. With that said, there is reporting that they are illegally walking people back to the actual border.
- Trump and Mexico’s President have spoken about the wall. Trump was told, “you know Mexico is not going to pay for the wall”. Trump’s response was, “you can’t let the press know this”. This is interesting because it shows Trump knows he is lying.
- A Trump-like wall must allow for flash flooding which also allows for walk through access. What? That makes no sense. Another wasteful Washington solution that a 10 year old can see is stupid.
Talking Points
Trump’s Wall and the Republican Failure
Does Trump really want a wall? I think the answer is no. I think he wants the fight to divide and sow hate. Do Republicans want to build a Trump-like wall? I think the answer is also no, Republicans do not want to spend $40 billion on a Trump-like wall, and they understand it’s not possible to build a Trump-like wall. That’s the reason Republicans did not give Trump his Trump-like wall in the first two years.
Trump claims the building of the wall has started when the truth is not one inch has been started. In 2018, the Republicans were given $1.6 billion for border security and spent only a small percentage. If border security was truly important and starved of cash, why didn’t they use up that budget?
“The wall is not built, not even started, and Mexico will not pay for it.”
The wall is primarily a political wedge issue, not a real issue. Trump campaign advisors only invented the border wall idea to make sure Trump slammed immigrants in speeches. It was always intended for Trump to use it to garner votes. Racists like it because it enables their cause. And yes, Democrats understand not everyone that supports the wall is a racist, only some. Some Democrats say that because they can’t figure out another reason for it. The wall will likely never get built because it is too expensive. The only issue left after that is criminals. Rather than spending $50 billion on a wall that the true criminals will find a way around, how about we spend a billion a year fighting them directly? Most believe it wouldn’t take a billion and would work better.
Also, remember 40% or more of all illegals here right now and historically came legally, then overstayed their visa, then slipped into the shadows. Many by plane and boat too. If we do eVerify, they have very little reason to stay. Problem solved.
I think nearly all Democrats, most Independents, and moderate Republicans agree. Heck, I don’t even think Trump cares. He’s using immigration as an emotional wedge issue rather than coming up with real compromise solutions. His goal is to divide, which is selfish. Politics is and will always be about selflessness and compromise. No one wants a dictator. A good leader listens to all voters, tries to persuade as many as possible, then finds a solution most can live with.
“Politics is and will always be about selflessness and compromise.”
Trump’s Leadership Failure
Trump and Republicans were in charge for two years and could have changed any laws they wanted. But, rather than leading the discussion pushing for their views and changing the law, they sowed racism, division, and general anger. That’s a problem because we did re not talk about the details of current policy and debate what to change.
“Rather than leading the discussion pushing for his views, Trump simply repeats ‘build wall’.”
Trump is a complete failure on most issues because he doesn’t lead. He is not a natural nor a trained leader. He does not understand the current law, what led to it, doesn’t really know what he wants to change, and doesn’t know the correct path to change.
Trump is a GREAT NEGOTIATOR and he’s just sticking to his guns and fighting for his base
The Dems have offered solutions! They offered $25 billion for a Trump-like wall in exchange for keeping DACA–something we already had at the time. Trump initially accepted, but then talk show hosts got mad, so he passed.
Dems then offered $5.6 billion in exchange for keeping the government open, Trump initially accepted, the Senate passed it 100% bipartisan, then 2 talk show hosts got mad, Trump passed.
Dems then offered $2.8 billion, Trump passed because he then wanted $5.6 billion. He got nothing and the government reopened.
Now the Dems are offering about $1.3 billion to keep the gov open…we really get nothing. Will Trump take a win?
Trump, the great negotiator, knows NOTHING about compromise or negotiations. Nothing. He is an utterly failed president. He LITERALLY negotiated his way from $25 billion for a Trump-like wall to $1.3 billion on fencing and the like, but definitely not a Trump-like wall. Wow. I’m not surprised though. If you honestly look at Trump and his character, it’s clear why he’s such a bad President.
Dreamers
About 79% of Americans support Obama’s action on Dreamers including most Democrats, most independents, and most Republicans. Even Trump. It’s only the Freedom Caucus driven by racism that does not want that. They spin it up and get good people like you to get behind what Obama “already” gave them. Most don’t want to go back on our word. There is a strong bipartisan political will to fix the dreamers issue.
Steel is See Through
Sometimes the 70% that oppose a Trump-like wall make fun of Trump for saying a steel wall can be see through. On this point, Trump is right. Trump is talking about a steel design that has holes. A design of that nature is more difficult with a cement wall. There is a GREAT advantage to border patrol if they can see through the wall and see what’s coming.
A Wall Helps Prevent Terrorism
The White House has said 4,000 terrorists were caught in 2018 on the southern border. That’s a lie. Zero have been caught. How do we know? The state department says this is a lie!!! It’s true that 6 people were stopped on a list of suspected terrorists, but no arrests because they were not terrorists!
El Paso is Safer after they Built their Wall
This is a lie. The wall went up in 2009, and the crime actually went up slightly after the wall went up. How do we know? The mayor and Chief of Police said so. The reality is that El Paso was the 2nd safest city in America with a population over 500,000 before and after the wall went up.
In his 2019 State of the Union, Trump lied:
“The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities.” –Trump
Immigration is a National Emergency
Every statistic backs up the fact that there is no emergency. Perhaps the clearest fact is that illegal immigration went from 1.6 million in 2000 down to about 320k in 2018.
CA Note: I live in California, 2018 was the 5th lowest number of illegal crossings in 46 years! This is an important fact to note because Trump supporters lie about this all the time. If you know this fact, you know who you can trust. Having trusted authorities is important to expedite one’s search for truth.
Immigration vs Homeless + Homeless Vets
Meme: I’ll start caring about the struggles of illegal immigration when all 39,000 homeless vets are taken care of.
I fully understand this sentiment essentially saying we should take care of our own. I think we all agree. But, I think this meme is a logical fallacy, specifically a false choice. I don’t think it’s either/or, but I get it. Take care of our homeless, especially homeless vets.
Perhaps this meme should be rewritten to say something like,
“Before we spend more on our military than the next 7 counties combined, let’s take care of the homeless vets.”
Instead of spending $710 billion per year on our military, how about we spend $708 billion and give EVERY homeless vet $55k per year worth of benefits aimed at getting them back on their feet.
We need to get started!
Answer: How? Trump has no plans. Meaning, he asks for money but does not say how he is going to spend it. He wouldn’t fund a new building or casino without plans, why does he expect our representatives to fund a wall with no plans? That’s a concern for both Democratic and Republican congress members.
Also, immigration has been refined many times. We have started. Trump is just repeating “build wall”. That’s stupid. He is a failure. Meaning, Trump is pushing ONLY for a wall. That’s the wrong approach. It needs to be more than that. Compromise is not a bad word. Until Republicans realize that and base what they want on facts, it’s hopeless.
Anecdotal Evidence: Trump Supporters Blame Immigrants
Heartbreaking. But, one should not make decisions based on anecdotal evidence.
For example, in Jan 2017 two Texas residents shot each other accidentally because they were super paranoid. They then blamed illegal immigrants. Their story was shared thousands of times online after Texas Commissioner of Agriculture and Donald Trump ally Sid Miller wrote about it on Facebook. A family friend set up a GoFundMe page stating that Mr. Daughtery and his group were involved in a shoot-out with some illegal immigrants that were trying to steal his RV with his clients still inside it. The two are likely to spend 5 years in prison.
Here’s a UK article on what happened. The world is watching and laughing.
Democrats Want a 100% Open Border? No!
Our country started with open borders, but that was changed in 1924. This really isn’t a real debate. It’s a wedge issue ONLY. The few that want a 100% free open borders like we had prior to 1924 are fighting a losing battle–it will never happen. Also, when Republicans say Democrats want an open border, sometimes they mean Democrats want more of an open border than Republicans. I’m not sure that’s true either, but in general, Democrats are more supportive of fair, humane, and non-racial based immigration policies. Moderate Republicans do too. For example, President Bush, Jr. and many Republicans used the term “Compassionate conservatism” which focused on fairness and family values.
The Scary Caravans!
The truth is that these caravans happen all the time. Usually, they don’t make it to our border. The caravan around the 2016 election started with 7,000, quickly went down to about 4,000, then 2,500, and was mostly women and children fleeing the violence. Most were absorbed by Mexico, or Mexico sent them back. Mexico has the same issue. Only those claiming asylum (part of the Geneva convention) will be listened to, or at least we are required to listen to them by international law. Then we accept them, detain them, or turn them back. It’s how most of us got here.
Trump Sends Military to the Border
In 2018, Trump sent more troops to the border, then was fighting ISIS and the Taliban. Clearly a political stunt. The President of the U.S. deployed the military on American soil and the right didn’t care at all! That’s crazy to me! Trump admitted he lied and made up things like the lie that ISIS and MS13 are mixed in with the caravan under discussion at the time.
Posse Comitatus Act: The army is NOT allowed to protect your family on American soil. That’s the law. Trump deploying the military to the border a few days before the 2018 election was a $200 million photo op and a political stunt. The Posse Comitatus Act is a federal law prohibiting the use of the military in civilian law enforcement. Passed in 1878 to forbid the Federal government from policing southern states. PLEASE support the separation of Federal and State by not supporting unlawful political stunts.
Where were all these brave armed people when white men took over the government building in Utah or when the white militia took over federal land in Arizona and refused to pay their fair share of the land rent? Has that all been forgiven and forgotten? If Republicans are not racist, then why the different standards for whites and non-whites?
Democrats Say I’m a Racist, I’m not!
A reasonable reply to a Trump supporter falsely accused of being racists:
Without solid evidence, I cannot fairly say whether any Trump supporter is a racist, or not. But, facts matter. Trump is not opposing white people immigration. In fact, he wants MORE white people. He has openly said, why do we get people from shithole countries and not more people like those in Switzerland. That’s racist. So, your point is valid for you, but not for Trump. Trump is a racist and racists support Trump.
Regarding ignoring racism. My point is that I don’t want to get stuck on racism. For me to say you are a racist, is an ad hominem attack where I lump you in with all the racists. My suggestion is that it is a good idea to acknowledge the very real racism because that would help folks like me understand your viewpoint better. I should not tell you what you should do, but I don’t want to get stuck on the racism issue. Getting stuck on racism is a red herring, a distraction. To me, bad racism outweighs the good wall. Can you explain to me why you want a Trump-like wall?
Detention Beds are for Violent Criminals
In Feb 2019, Trump and Lindsey Graham said that Trump will not give up a single detention bed because they are for violent criminals. They both went on to say that if we lower the number of detention beds, we will let violent criminals on the streets. Fear mongering, again.
This is a lie. If you think there is even one ounce of truth to that, you are wrong. The only explanation I can think of as to why one would buy into this lie is that you are either an extreme blinded drink-the-Kool-Aid partisan or a racist. If there’s another explanation, please educate me.
Mexico Get $80 Billion a Year in Aid, Trump will pay for it with that money
Mexico does not get $80 billion in aid. That’s yet another lie. Who do you listen to? Where did you get that number? The reality is we give them less than $300 million per year.
a. Aid has a specific political reason. It’s used to control the world. Rand Paul and isolationists want to kill all aid. Most that know want to increase it. I suspect you and I are in the middle someplace.
b. Moving money around is not fiscal responsibility. Another reason I’m a Democrat is that we pay for the bills we pass. Republicans for many decades have relied on Vudu economics and magic that NEVER works to pay for shifting money to the top 1%. I truly wish you could see that.
A Trump-like Wall is Picking Up in Popularity
That’s a hopeful lie intended to coax opinion. Most understand that we do not have an emergency on the Southern border and taking all the focus off of real threats as outlined by Trump’s own cabinet to Congress is dangerous. You believe people want to spend $50 billion on a tribute to Trump that will do nearly nothing and is impossible to build. I believe the will isn’t there for many reasons including the fact that his own party did not take up this issue during the two years they were in charge.
E-Verify Enforcement Will Not Work; We have it now! It doesn’t work!
It’s true that E-Verify Enforcement by itself will not prevent 100% of undocumented residents from working. But, don’t throw out the good in pursuit of the perfect. Yes, there will always be a few that break the laws.
As for “we have this now”, that’s just not true. There is NO penalty for American employers breaking the law right now. Trump knew he was hiring illegals. I want a law that sends people like Trump to jail for knowingly hiring illegals and undocumented residents. Heck, even Trump supporters give him a pass on this. Why? Trump and people like him are the problem!
We Need to Change Immigration Law to prevent more people from coming in Legally
First, not many think this. But, I do agree 100% that laws can be changed. If you want to change the law, change it. Go through the process. Just-do-it!
Trump Should Take Money from Other Places
That’s unconstitutional. The House has the exclusive power to allocate money. If he tries this, it would immediately get tied up in court, then he would lose. I doubt it would even make it to the Supreme Court. It’s not debatable.
