Trump's border security theater hasn't ended — it's gotten worse
Now GOP governors are sending National Guard members to Texas and Arizona as political props.
By Hayes Brown, MSNBC Opinion Columnist
There are a lot of problems with the U.S. immigration system. Of all the even halfway decent fixes that have been proposed over the years, though, sending in the military to deter immigrants at the southern border ranks pretty far down the list. And yet that's exactly what's happening, part of a process that I highly doubt will make anyone safer, be they a U.S. citizen or a migrant who has recently crossed the border.
In a rush of gubernatorial one-upmanship, National Guard troops and state police officers are being sent from around the country to fortify Texas and Arizona — sort of. Meanwhile, thousands of service members are unwilling participants in a farce, play-acting at an actual solution to immigration issues that have loomed over the country for decades now. Those federal troops whom former President Donald Trump first deployed ahead of the 2018 midterms will apparently spend another year doing, well, something along the southwestern border.
It's an understatement to say that these recent developments are all about the toxic politics of immigration here in the U.S. rather than actual security needs or solutions to real problems. When Trump first signed an order to deploy National Guard troops to the southern border, it was at a time when border crossings were at their lowest since 1971, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics. But immigration fearmongering was central to his governing philosophy, such as it was, and emergencies require action.
READ MORE: Trump's border security theater hasn't ended — it's gotten worse
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/trump-s-bord...
Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Thursday, July 8th 2021 at 9:59AM
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