WELCOME MAT, DOORMAT
Following the assassination of John Kennedy, numerous bad, poorly thought-out ideas became legislation and law, not least of which was “The Great Society.” Among them was the Immigration and Nationality Act. Promoted by avowed socialist, Edward “Ted” Kennedy, the “Hart-Celler” act opened immigration to all nations somewhat equally, no longer favoring European nations, and gave preference to those who claimed relatives already resident in the U. S. The wording of the bill included preference for skilled persons, but the new relative-based “Chain” migration superseded that.
Immigration increased and shifted dramatically in nationalities represented, but it took a while for Democrats, fairly solidly in power in the congress for 40 years, to grasp the possibility of using immigration to increase the population of Democrat voters. In 1986, during the Reagan administration, the first codification of a premise called “amnesty,” the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, was sold to the President as a means to control illegals’ taking of jobs in the private economy, while strengthening the Border Patrol. Rather than a “solution” it created a platform for increasing problems, the worst of which, in a legal sense, is the concept of “amnesty,” which is a pleasant-sounding term for “helping” the downtrodden. Amnesty does, in fact, help the poor unfortunates who “risk everything” to escape less-pleasant circumstances to sneak into the U. S., which is not to say that such “helping” is the business of the U. S. or of those American citizens elected to administer the government of the United States.
That is, “our” representatives, the crux of our democratic Republic, have NO BUSINESS giving away the birthright or adopted, legal citizen-rights of U. S. citizens. Prudence hopes that statement is not confusing to her readers.
Between these two nation-weakening steps the political left in the U. S. learned the power of guilt as a means of twisting national direction. Hillary Clinton and many others thought her husband’s presidency was finally the time to take over health care, a cornerstone of the Communist Manifesto. While the timing was off, and Bill Clinton’s mendacity led to his moving rightward to win re-election, the pattern was set. Along with “de-education” by their friends in the education unions, left-facing Democrats could shift America to a one-party state with sufficient guilt (over racism), the unseating of Christianity, and control of the Supreme Court – courts, generally, being merely another political tool to use when Americans proved too dense to agree with global socialism. Hatred became the political engine to keep the shift moving.
Hatred was firmly applied in the George W. Bush administration. Hardly a day passed that he wasn’t vilified, yet he still managed to defeat Kerry to earn a second term. The election of Barack Obama established non-compromise as a policy. Not only with “Obamacare,” but with numerous issues, compromise with Republicans became the very last, possible resort to get things done. No longer were Republicans brought in to help shape solutions; Obama’s goals were all transformative, anti-Constitutional, and, largely, party-line. “Elections have consequences.”
A fairly porous southern border became, under Obama, fairly open. For the first time “caravans” of illegal immigrants formed up at the southern Mexico border, or in Guatemala, and moved north with substantial help from human traffickers – cartels that found they could charge many thousands of dollars for individuals and whole families to get to the U. S. border. They even taught the interlopers what to say to guarantee a hearing on refugee or asylee status. Illegal entrants, always a problem, nearly untouched by “amnesty,” became a flood. Obama and his corrupt AG, Eric Holder, had no interest in stemming the flow. Despite higher “deportation” numbers than previous administrations, Obama changed the immigration landscape with selective enforcements and easier entry for children. Cartels took advantage of changes and began teaching people to say the right things to create potential asylum, and to have children with them at the border, even if only “rented” for the purpose. “Immigration” became one of the potent issues that propelled Donald Trump into the White House.
Obama, extra-legally, also invented “DACA,” Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals. By executive order the President changed the status of those who were brought into the U. S. illegally before they turned 18, making them magically less illegal than their parents. It covered some 750,000 child arrivals. That group also were given renewable work permits. Since they had “grown up” in the U. S., everyone felt sorry for them and that it would be cruel to force them back to their own countries. More magic.
At the time of the 1986 Amnesty bill / farce, illegals were estimated to number about 7 million. As the next few years passed under Clinton, that estimate slid up to “12 million,” and no matter how illegal they might be, surely it was not possible to “arrest 12 million people” and deport them! The groundwork for lawlessness being rewarded was being put into place.
The Obama administration saw an explosion of “sanctuaries” for illegals: first towns and cities, and later whole states, declared themselves “sanctuary” jurisdictions where local and state police would be directed to not cooperate with federal C.I.S. and I.C.E. agents as they attempted to apprehend known criminals who were illegal entrants. I.C.E., standardly, would file a detain and hold notice in a local jurisdiction or with a court magistrate whenever local police or sheriffs had arrested a fugitive illegal. Local authorities, even judges, would facilitate the escape of the fugitive, even sentencing them to a number of days that meant they were free to go following their court appearance. Then an employee or even a court officer would help the criminal out a back door so as to avoid federal I.C.E. agents attempting to serve an arrest warrant. Criminal magic.
Is this “nullification?” Not quite, but it certainly skirts the law. Federal jurisdiction clearly extends to our borders and immigration, customs, contraband interdiction and arrest and deportation of illegal aliens. In effect, our borders extend to any physical location of an illegal entrant. “Sanctuary” status, self-declared by local authorities, attempts to establish local jurisdiction over illegal entrants where none exists, and in contravention of federal jurisdiction, that does exist, in law. When President Trump attempted to withhold federal aid to police agencies that refused to cooperate with federal warrants, he was rebuffed by judges on the basis that there were no provisions for singling out departments or agencies for such withholding unless they had broken certain laws including misuse of funds. Since police power is the jurisdiction of respective states, the President’s instincts couldn’t apply. This is not to say that “Sanctuary” status is recognized in law or precedent; it is tolerated for lack of sanctions and lack of will to legislate them by Congress.
For the most crass and cynical reasons of political advantage, protecting illegal aliens became widespread: for Democrats, the eventual amnesty they pushed for might create millions of democrat voters; for Republicans, being accused of being anti-immigrant, or anti-Hispanic or, worse, racist, was too hurtful or too much trouble to refute. Both parties’ supporters are happy to have cheap labor. Neither party has made much sense in immigration over the past 40 years.
Trump, at least, attempted to gain control of our geographically and topographically open border with Mexico. Democrats fought him at every step, particularly in terms of building a wall that would force potential entrants to specific points of entry where administrative procedures could be followed, including adjudication of refugee or asylee claims, most of which are legally denied. Ultimately he had to divert dollars from military budgets to pay for about 500 miles of fencing. One of the first steps President Biden took was to stop construction, putting all those expenditures and materials yet to be installed, to waste. Elections have consequences.
Biden brought in Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security. Mayorkas is an accomplished and committed liar. To place him in the Cabinet is an affront to American citizens and to all those who have served in presidential administrations. To place him over “DHS” is a lie in its own right. There is no reason to trust that the Homeland is Secure. There’s no such thing as compartmentalization of national security – it functions as a whole. One cannot administer 1800 miles of wide-open border while claiming that, 1) the border is closed and secure; and, 2) we are secure at all of our ports, airports, imports and immigration procedures. One can try, however, as Mayorkas has, including serial perjury before Congress. Perhaps he’ll take the fall for the Biden administration when the rule of law returns to Capitol Hill.
Since Biden took office and started signing Executive Orders he may not have even read, more than 3 MILLION illegal entrants, claiming asylum, have been processed by the Border Patrol / DHS. They include large numbers of Central and South American migrants, family units and children and hundreds of unaccompanied “minors.” As they are “processed” they receive free cell-phones, clothing, back-packs and other niceties like “EBT” cards or meal chits, and bus or plane rides to their preferred location. What a country!
Over the same period, however, illegal entrants from over 100 other countries – people whose claims to asylum require suspension of disbelief, as they have traveled many thousands of miles to get into Central America for the walk to el Norte. There doesn’t seem to be any maximum number the administration is hoping to reach for migrants streaming across our “closed” and “secure” border.
Worse, some 900,000 “got-aways” have entered, too. Now we’re talking. No country has survived for long, nor any culture, nor any “people,” has or will survive for long if left undefended. The Biden presidency is best defined as being anti-American, best-exemplified by failure to defend the nation. Unbridled and un-vetted immigration, free from the constraints of economic merit and/or freedom from disease, is a classic form of national dissolution… as though anyone would aspire to such a level of stupidity or incompetence. One must stretch his or her incredulity to accept that Joe Biden actually received more votes for president than any other candidate ever has. None of us should overlook the leftward collapse of Biden and, essentially, everyone he works with… or for.
Mr. Biden has not only failed to comprehend the consequences of bad policies and incompetent appointees, he appears to actively pursue them. What on Earth for? More money? More recognition or fame? Help his depraved son, Hunter? Maybe he doesn’t recognize depravity when he sees it in his own family. Or, if his daughter’s diary can be believed, may… and it seems possible… maybe he doesn’t KNOW what is depraved and what is not – doesn’t know that Hunter’s incest with his older brother’s widow was depraved – or that hiring hookers to have sexual orgies laced with crack cocaine is depraved – or, as most ethical people would agree, doing the exact opposite of what he had sworn to do before God and country during inauguration, is also depraved.
Indeed, doing the exact opposite of what he has stood for during his political career is also a little depraved, when you think about it.