bman posted:billhike posted:thistlintom posted:Immigration policy is a total mess, with 100,000 people illegally crossing the border this month. The illegals used to be just men looking for work, now it is families or purported families that cross and claim asylum. With current laws, they get released into the US never to be seen again. The Dems need to admit there is a serious problem and work with Repubs to fix it.
Absolutely a mess, and kicked down the road for too long. But I can’t help feeling that Trump’s rhetoric on the issue impedes progress. Not that Congress needs help being inefficient.
As long as Trump insistes on billions for his wall, immigration reform will be stalled. The two parties had a deal to fund the wall and give Dreamers status but Trump pulled the rug out at the last minute due to shrieking from the usual Fox News suspects. Two of the country's best ever political tacticians lead the House and Senate and could probably craft a bipartisan deal if only Trump would get on board. And even if he did, why go to all that trouble when the only thing he can be depended upon to do is screw it up?
As for the demographic change in the largely Central American movement of refugee claimants to the US, it is not surprise to me. nor is it a bad thing. I worked as a visa/refugee officer for 6 years in Central America, over a 26 year period (1986-2012) . In the 80s and 90s young men and women were fleeing because they were the targets of recruiters on both sides in the various civil wars. Now the issue is rampant crime, which affects whole families and so they are the ones fleeing. And I say that it is not a bad thing that the movement has changed from young single people to families because young children assimilate much better than adults and their parents will still be filling the gaps in the labour market that they have always filled. And parents with children are less likely to turn to crime than young single men and women.
Great...come legally. If you don't, you should be turned away at the border immediately.