Our Internal Border Dispute

Fence between Nogales, AZ & Nogales, Mexico

When I visited the Arizona side of the divided town of Nogales fifteen years ago, the long ugly wall on the Mexican border stood in stark contrast to the images like the Statue of Liberty that has welcomed immigrants for decades or our peaceful border with Canada.   The situation has only gotten uglier since the Mexican government's disastrous war on drug lords has seen massive corruption in what has basically become a "narco state" as America's drug habit fuels demand and our guns find their way into the hands of powerful drug cartels.   Millions of undocumented Mexicans who mostly come to make a better living have repeatedly risked everything to sneak into the U.S. to do jobs many Americans refuse to do.  Ask Alabama how well the crops got picked when they shut out Mexican workers a short while ago.

Now the face of the border crisis has changed.   Over 50,000 children fleeing horrible gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are exploited by human traffickers as they make the trek across Mexico and give themselves up to the U.S. Border Patrol.   What do we get from do-nothing Congressional Republicans and GOP presidential hopefuls only concerned with their political base back home?    We get outrageous temper tantrums and lawsuits by Rep. John Boehner against the President as immigration reform arrives dead on arrival in the House of Representatives.    Two years ago, Texas Governor Rick Perry felt the sting of other right wingers when he went for a more moderate approach to education for undocumented children; Now he's towing their line.   A few weeks ago, former Connecticut 2nd District Congressman Rob Simmons ratcheted up his new-found harsh conservative rhetoric by saying on WICH that our border is not secure.   Does he think we should deal with desperate Central American kids through the barrel of a gun?   Does he deny that President Obama has greatly increased border patrol agents and become known as the "deporter in chief"?    Does he dispute the record of inaction on immigration by Congress?

I'll grant you that an appearance by Obama at the border would be good optics for his administration.   A photo op might appease critics, but I doubt it would take the place of action that includes more pressure on Central American regimes.