Bad things happen when destitute people embark on a dangerous journey across hundreds of miles of barren land in an effort to illegally enter the United States. Girls are molested and raped; people are mugged by bandits; deaths occur due to dehydration or venomous snake bites...
A few days ago, a seven-year-old Guatemalan girl, Jakelin Caal Maquin, died after crossing the border and being apprehended, along with her adult guardians, by Border Patrol officers. It is believed she overheated and died of sepsis. While her death is sad, it is not shocking. She has become a cause celebre for Trump haters who adamantly oppose a border wall and think efforts to crack down on illegal immigration stem from bigotry and mean-spirited policies. They immediately began bashing the Border Patrol personnel as likely being responsible for her death, and the lawyers are already lining up to represent the girl's family in a lawsuit, with visions of a large payday dancing in their heads.
Soon-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has jumped on the shameless political bandwagon, issuing a statement in sympathy for the girl and her family and taking the opportunity to grandstand about immigration policy. Left-wing websites are full of hateful vitriol ("Mission Accomplished" for immigration opponents; "Maquin Was No Terrorist" and other such rubbish.)
Strange, but I never once heard Pelosi utter a word of sympathy for families who've lost a loved one as a result of an illegal alien who committed a murder or slammed into another vehicle while driving drunk. Not to imply that the deceased girl or her family members would ever commit such atrocities, but to illustrate the point: Unchecked illegal immigration wreaks all sorts of havoc, and will continue to do so until we get it under control.
Sadly, the pathetic House Republicans who are finishing a disgraceful, inept lame duck session, haven't done squat to address the problem. They had their chance, but are so spineless and devoid of character, that expecting them to step up is asking too much. President Trump made one of his biggest mistakes when he signed an omnibus spending bill last spring that did not include funding for the wall. He apparently let some Republicans of the wimpy RINO / National Review / Bill Kristol vein convince him that a government shutdown was far worse than not moving forward on border wall construction.
Even if there is a shutdown at this late hour, and even if the Republican House manages to get some money allocated for continuing construction of the wall, it seems impossible that 60 Senate votes could be secured to approve of the legislation. The border chaos only promises to worsen once the Democrats take control of the House.
Absent a wall, President Trump may need to go the route of his predecessor, and simply resort to executive fiat to put stricter security measures in place. That, and local and state governments along the border will take matters into their own hands. Such is the abysmal state of our congressional "leadership" in 2018. Unfortunately, this fiasco promises to get much uglier and more deadly before it gets better. Ditto for the demagoguery.
The BUMP STOCKS HERE!
Posted by: T-Mo | December 19, 2018 at 07:36 PM
Tiresome trolls get banned.
Final warning.
Posted by: K.N. McBride | December 18, 2018 at 05:36 PM
President Trump has already taken steps to protect us from MS-13's assaults on our southern borders by banning bump stocks.
Posted by: Alkiabades | December 18, 2018 at 12:15 PM