On January 6, Blog No. 202 “The Shutdown: The Bipartisan Mess,” expressed dismay at both Trump (and his enabler, Mitch McConnell) and Democrats for failure to resolve the shutdown. The intervening days have served only to reinforce that view.
For his part, Trump has continued the shutdown and clung to the Wall as a symbol for his base, a base that he may need more than ever as threats of impeachment encroach. There can be little doubt that Trump has grossly exaggerated the need for a Wall—or steel barrier—and the benefit it would provide for border security. There is a crisis at the border, but it is a humanitarian crisis, and one that would be neither resolved nor mitigated by a wall or other barriers. The humanitarian crisis involves the thousands of migrants from Central America who have come to present themselves at ports of entry and to seek asylum as they are entitled to do under United States law. The “crisis” has been created and exacerbated by the Trump administration’s attempt to impose rigorous modes of processing, including family separations, that violated existing court orders and for which it lacked the resources and facilities to implement.
In terms of illegal border crossings, statistics show that the number has steadily declined over the past two decades. Nor is there any basis for Trump’s claims that drugs, criminals and potential terrorists are flooding across the southern border. Quantities of illegal drugs do cross the southern border but almost entirely through points of entry. Studies have shown that criminal activity by illegal immigrants is at lower levels than that by native-born Americans. As for terrorists, the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism wrote in July 2017 that there was “no credible information that any member of a terrorist group has traveled through Mexico to gain access to the United States.” In fact, Democrats have pointed out that there is a greater threat of terrorist entry through our much longer, porous and understaffed border with Canada.
On the other hand…
Opponents of “the Wall” are mistaken in arguing that there is no need for any such a barrier, that it is a medieval solution to a twenty-first century problem or that, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi put it, it is an “immorality” on which not another dollar should be spent. While physical barriers are not the only answer by any means, it seems clear that they are a part of the answer along with drones, cameras and human personnel. Republicans point out, correctly, that Democrats have voted in the past for funding of physical barriers and should not refuse to do so now simply because it is requested by Trump. It is a fair point, and a fair point even if Trump’s requests are beclouded in false assertions and demagogic rhetoric. While facts are scarce, it seems likely that there are areas along the border where new or improved physical barriers would serve a constructive purpose.
Some Democrats have suggested that they are open to negotiating some barrier funding but only after Trump has ended the shutdown. That position is facially reasonable, but unrealistic. In doing so, Trump would not only give up whatever leverage he has from the shutdown, but subject himself once again to withering criticism from the Rush Limbaughs and Ann Coulters of the world. It would be more realistic for Democrats to make a public offer for some funding for something. But how much and for what? One of the most frustrating aspects of this matter for the public is lack of information as to the underlying facts. Perhaps this could be remedied, and a foundation laid for good-faith negotiations, if Democrats were to put several questions to Trump and ask for answers on the public record. For example:
–You have asked for $5.7 billion. Would that be all, or only a down payment? (At one point, Trump asked for $25 billion.) If only a down payment, what is the current estimate of the total? When will the next payment be requested?
–What is the $5.7 billion figure based on? OMB has indicated that it would pay for 234 miles of steel barriers. How was that arrived at? Why 234 miles and not, say, 200 or 300 miles?
–Where are the 234 miles? Would the new barriers go where there is no barrier now or replace existing barriers? In either case, what evidence is there of significant numbers of illegal entries in those areas?
If Trump cannot or will not respond to such questions, his position will be exposed as naked pandering to his base with little of no merit in fact.
Polling has shown that a majority of the public does not favor the wall and blames Trump for the shutdown. Democrats, however, should not sit back and bask in that political cover. As the consequences of the shutdown expand and become increasingly severe, the public will become more impatient with both parties and so it should. The previous blog emphasized the harm to federal workers and that harm has continued and daily becomes more painful. Moreover, as the shutdown has continued, ripple effects are being felt throughout the economy, from airports to farms, and they will only grow more serious. It is past time to end this embarrassing and destructive foolishness.
Democrats have already asked the Trump administration for specifics, to no avail.
Yours is an excellent piece. I just don’t agree that the president and senate majority leader McConnel have the right to cripple our country to get a stupid wall.
Trump is a dangerous lunatic and I think Speaker Nancy Pelosi is absolutely right to oppose him. End the shutdown and comprehensive reform is possible.
As The Donald visited our southern border, he asked the Border Patrol what they needed to prevent penetration of our border from drugs, undocumented people, terrorists, unaccompanied children, gang members, and sex slaves. They said they needed many things: electronic drug detection, port of entry verification, rejection of known terrorists, arrests of people who enter illegally, rejection of gang members, more border patrol officers, barriers to make entry more difficult. They documented how barriers had lowered illegal entry numbers successfully. The message was simple; just give us the tools to do our job.
Behind the resistance to do what the Border Patrol want is the continued Trump Derangement Syndrome best represented by Nancy Pelosi who is using her new position as House Speaker to continue to block anything associated with the president in order to gain political leverage for 2020 election. Petulant Pelosi puts party power over immigration reform. The Donald is accepting the stance that Congress do its job, no more talking about maybe next month, next year, next decade. Do it now. Our country needs border security as a nation.
Holy guacamole, and here I thought that Mexico was going to pay for the wall! Where’s the tariff $$? Mexico is expected to ship 1.9 million metric tons of avocados to the US during the 2018/19 season. Dipping into the math of $5.7 billion for the wall, I get the President can have his dip and chips in time for the Super Bowl with a green-ripe tax of just 68 cents on a half pound avo. If this seems silly or frivolous, it’s because my mind continues to reel from the Washington circus.
Our government in extended shutdown makes us vulnerable. Trump has spent two years hiring and firing until there are no experienced and few permanent department heads or cabinet members; now we have literally hundreds of thousands of empty desks where federal employees are supposed to be doing their jobs but are shut out of doing so. Congress is being blocked on voting legislation that McConnell says Trump might veto. Isn’t this all a huge red flag? No wonder Pelosi mentioned that Trump would like to abolish Congress, as they are being silenced and rendered without power unless they submit to his demand for $5 billion dollars for The Wall. If they had supported earlier efforts to build one, it certainly wasn’t under this kind of threat – and it’s that lack of negotiation, the demand for submission to his will, that is driving not only their firm resistance but also the shutdown and the problems that are and will continue to radiate from his desire to dominate, to call every shot. We all, Republicans and Democrats, need to ask ourselves why Trump says he is okay with a shuttered government. He was not elected to be the head of an authoritarian state … was he?
The thousands who are out of work as a result of the shutdown are at the mercy of a President who is without ethics, loyalty, or heart where others are concerned. Earlier actions to push his agenda and make a statement, such as separating children from parents at the border were appalling – but many weren’t overly concerned because it was happening to “foreigners”. But it is telling of just who Trump is and how he operates that many of those families are not yet reunited and perhaps will never be so. He wanted to make a statement through action, regardless of the consequence, and did. Now he is doing a similar manipulation, though this time it is putting federal employees at risk for being put out of their homes, cars, college or health care – by withholding their pay.
Trump is making our nation vulnerable, not border crossers or asylum seekers. Republicans and Democrats are both being played by this President, and this is our real national emergency. McConnell is equally at fault. Our government needs to be open, functional and operate by U.S. law…and our bipartisan Congress needs to take back the ability to legislate, as they were elected to do.
Dear Amy – your comment is brilliant and I agree with you completely. It is simply wrong to give in to the blowhard Trump. Why should Democrats and Independants help him one bit? The American people need to let him self-destruct. Thanks. -Roger
Your analysis, questions, and suggestions for negotiation and potential resolution, Doug, make eminently good sense. Where are the adults in leadership roles ready to raise their voices, strongly and clearly, demanding such reasonable steps be taken, before the shutdown further leads to another unnecessary humanitarian disaster stemming directly from Wash. DC?
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