Border Insecurity Offers Security for Republicans

WASHINGTON (03-12) – A press conference announcing a Democratic task force on border security was announced by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) which he promised would “respect immigrants rights and values.” Surrounded by eleven other Democratic members of Congress, Cuellar went on to say that the Republican narrative of the “border being a dangerous place and out of control” should instead be described in a democrat narrative that rejects the Republican view of the contentious campaign issue.

“We care about border security, and some of us who live at the border understand what the border is all about. It is also important to know that we are calling for action and that we want the Senate border deal.” Cuellar went on to say that “… finally there is a strong border deal done and they (Republicans) don’t want to bring it up for a vote.”

Cuellar referenced the $2.4 billion dollar Homeland Security appropriation that was added to the budget and was opposed by all the Republicans in the House except for two.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), while acknowledging that the border is a problem, asked Republicans “‘What’s your solution?’ They only respond with it being a problem offering nothing in the way of a solution or ideas on how to fix the “problem.” This all no doubt to keep the issue alive as a keystone in Trump’s reelection campaign for the narrative they own by repetition of Biden’s inability to fix “the problem.”

The “solution” in other words, in this critical election year, is to keep “the problem” as leverage in support of a former president who never fixed the problem in the first place aside from having created numerous photo ops for himself posing to do so.

“Right now, we have a situation in our country with the people who are standing here who are part of this caucus saying, ‘We are going to do everything we can to come up with a solution.’” Suozzi went on to note that Republicans instead have followed Trump’s advice of not wanting to give Biden a win on the issue but rather they want to “campaign on the chaos,” which he called “appalling,” characterizing such action as “the most cynical and irresponsible thing that you can do in politics.”

In the belief that border security is a real issue and that it is the House of Representatives’ responsibility to solve the problem, Suozzi promised that “Democrats for Border Security” will work to see that a bi-partisan deal is reached in the Senate and voted on. He further claimed that the new bi-partisan Senate restructured immigration system would also speed up the adjudication of asylum seekers from the present timeframe of “a few months to a few years,” for one of a few weeks duration with 90 percent of the 5,000 daily applicants being deported.

Another extremely important aspect of border security is the smuggling of illegal drugs including synthetic opioids like Fentanyl, a substance more dangerous than heroin and morphine. The bill would fund new Border Control and Customs agents along with advanced technology and other tools needed to effectively impact smuggling operations that have caused so many overdose deaths across the nation.

Collectively, all the speakers called for common sense solutions, and an end to talking the problem to death by taking direct bipartisan action now in addressing a resolution for border security and immigration that embraces the dignity that migrants deserve along with effectively and significantly reducing drugs being smuggled into the U.S.

Report and photos by Phil Pasquini

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