On both sides of the Atlantic borders have become a big issue in the guise of the equivalent question of whether a country can restrict the entry of migrants to numbers the electorate regards as sustainable.
In the US the family impact of arresting illegal aliens has intensified political hostility nearly to the point of physical conflict. The New York Times sadly notes Trump supporters no longer even listen to the media’s frequent denunciations of the incumbent president. How can they stand him? “This includes portions of the wealthy college-educated people in swing counties … and the endless stream of tough cable news coverage and bad headlines about Mr. Trump only galvanizes them further.”
Both sides have dug in along some gigantic political Western Front. The NYT argued it was Trump’s failure to follow the unofficial policy that immigration law was best humanely ignored or at least, as Kevin Jennings former assistant deputy secretary of Education under President Obama argued in the LA Times, transcended, that caused the crisis.
Jennings wrote “coming here ‘illegally’ did not even exist as a concept” until a hundred years ago. With opinion so divided it is not surprising that White House press secretary Sarah Sanders “was booted from a Virginia restaurant because she works for President Donald Trump, the latest administration official to experience a brusque reception in a public setting.” Nor will she likely be the last. Mother Jones tweeted: “Trump officials can no longer eat out in peace.”
In Europe things are if anything worse. A growing coalition of parties demanding control over national boundaries was threatening the future of the European Union itself — or at least the chancellorship of Angela Merkel. “European Union leaders gather in Brussels on Sunday in an attempt to bridge their deep divisions over migration, an issue that has been splitting them for years and now poses a fresh threat to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.”
Yet the biggest aspect of crisis, even though it is under-reported, is in countries close to where 22.5 million have fled imploding societies, the biggest such tide of displacement since WW 2. The numbers are staggering. Turkey has 3.5 million Syrians refugees, tiny Lebanon a million; 1.5 million Afghans are camped in Pakistan; more than a million Sudanese are cooling their heels in Uganda. In South America one million Venezuelans fleeing Bolivarian socialism have lodged in Colombia. In Central America multitudes of “families and unaccompanied children” daily flee their own crime-ridden societies for the US.
Current homicide rates are among the highest ever recorded in Central America. Several cities, including San Salvador, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, are among the 10 most dangerous in the world. The most visible evidence of violence is the high rate of brutal homicides, but other human rights abuses are on the rise, including the recruitment of children into gangs, extortion and sexual violence.
From 2011 to 2016, the number of people from the Northern Triangle who have sought refuge in surrounding countries has increased by 2,249 percent. The majority fleeing are women and children. In 2016, 388,000 people fled the region – more continued to flee in 2017. The rapid growth of those forced from their homes is quickly outstripping available resources, leaving many vulnerable children, women and men without physical and legal protection.
The migration crisis is an indictment of the global world order. It also underscores its biggest weakness: a grandly named system ironically incapable of either preventing the collapse of its constituents or managing the displacement of tens of millions. That powerlessness was manifested in Europe’s inability to do anything but passively await the human tide launched by ISIS against its porous borders. “Of NATO’s EU allies, only Greece, Estonia and the U.K. hit the target of spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense.” Tellingly Spain, on Europe’s front line, spent less than 1%. Germany’s contribution to the fight against ISIS was eloquent in its paltriness. DW noted “many primary weapons systems in the Bundeswehr are not available.” The numbers reported ready were:
So why should anyone bother to read the New York Pravda(Times)or CNN(Fake News Network)at all that’s why Americans trust in the MSM is so low right now
It must be a real punch to the gut to realize your sole reason for being… propagandizing for the Democrat party… is no longer effective? That their non-stop lying is finally beginning to wear thin on a majority of people? The sky’s not falling… not even close.
All a direct result of Obama’s policies.
There’s no border crisis – the crisis is political opportunism coming straight out of the 1930s playbook by a president articulating the same language strategy as previous dictators.
Even at the time our Adolf Trump took office, border crossing was at a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/12/05/568546381/arrests-for-illegal-border-crossings-hit-46-year-low". The only recent uptick of boarder crossings are due to people fleeing for their lives from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and asking for asylum only to be persecuted and referred to as “infestation” (Nazis referred to the Jews as “lice”) by our dictator loving president.
And that part about being rapist, murders, and drug dealers? Just more inductive and dishonest rhetoric coming from our serial liar in chief.
The cowardly liar AJ cites other liars to try and shore up his fascist lies. Ho hum.
@Ajay42302: If they are actually fleeing for their lives from their socialist paradises then we need to get UN blue helmets down there ASAP. Your beef is with the UN and the leaders of their home countries. Coming to a country where they are strangers, they don’t speak the language, little education and have no skill to offer is not a good idea for them or the US.
A country either has borders or it doesn’t. There is a legal way to come and and an illegal one. You support the illegal one. Does Mexico enforce it’s borders?
By the way ever heard of prison? People are separated all the time.
@Mully:
Do trump lickers even make an attempt at reality in any sense? Ever?
Those seeking asylum are leaving because of the overwhelming violence from mainly gangs of their countries. Many are being driven from their homes and actually witnessing the murder and rape of their very own family members. They are making every attempt to flee for their lives and that of their children.
There’s a difference between someone who intentionally sneaks across our boarders and someone who shows up on the border begging for asylum. There’s a difference between someone who commits a crime in the U.S. and someone who shows up on the border begging for asylum.
Trump and his brownshirts refuse to acknowledge that difference.
@Ajay42302: Why are you not down on the border helping house, feed and take care of them, you hypocritical, lying coward? It’s a mess YOUR people created.
@Deplorable Me:
Curt, please instruct your owned sockpuppets to make somewhat of a lick of sense.
Oh, wait, the Adolf Trump licking phenomenon you need to fuel your hate fest site. My bad. Never mind.
Uh oh… someone has their whiny baby diaper on. “Ooooo… make them stop calling me out for being a hypocritical, cowardly liar. Waaaa… I’ll have to go scream at the sky.”
@Deplorable Me: Did you see the next article after no crisis go back and see how migration is shattering Europe. Spanish students given 12 hours to vacate their dorms to move in border bashers turned away by Italy and Malta.
@kitt: Only liberals are this stupid and only liberals would brand common sense opposition to one’s own destruction as “racist”.
From ABC right wing hate outlet https://mobile.twitter.com/ABC/status/1011377075154894849/video/1
Shoot the boat !
Pence should propose a law to Congress:
“America’s immigration laws shall mirror Mexico’s.”
A simple solution that will drive the new Mexican President insane. Sorry, “More insane”.
@Petercat: You mean safe harbor into Canada?
@Petercat: @kitt: The left will not stand for law and order being imposed. It’s why they are asking for ICE to be dissolved.
@kitt: #14
Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:
in the country legally;
have the means to sustain themselves economically;
not destined to be burdens on society;
of economic and social benefit to society;
of good character and have no criminal records; and
contributors to the general well-being of the nation.
The law also ensures that:
immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;
foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;
foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country’s internal politics;
foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported;
foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported;
those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison.
From: http://humanevents.com/2006/05/08/mexicos-immigration-law-lets-try-it-here-at-home/
@Petercat: Like with trade and security, Democrats believe everyone else but the United States has the right to look out for their own best interests.