Five Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee do not think that the influx of illegal immigrant juveniles from Central America shows that America needs better border security.
Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA), and Filemon Vela (D-LA), echoing talking points Democrats have emphasized during the border crisis, accused conservatives who are concerned about border security of using “unsubstantiated claims” about the border crisis for “fear mongering.”
In a Monday Roll Call op-ed, Thompson, the Ranking Member, along with four Democrats on the Committee, claimed that the border crisis is not “a border security problem” because the children, nearly 90% of whom are teenagers, “do not attempt to evade the Border Patrol.” Even though the number of illegal immigrant juveniles drastically spiked after Obama enacted his temporary amnesty program, they allege it had nothing to do with the surge. They also accuse conservatives of falsely painting “the Southwest border as a type of battleground that can only be stabilized by the National Guard, when in reality the Border Patrol’s effectiveness rate in the area has improved.”
Law enforcement officials, though, have said that somewhere between one in five and one in ten illegal immigrants are actually detained, according to Texas state Senator Dan Patrick. Cartels to terrorists have reportedly been looking to exploit the porous border. And a recent blockbuster leaked Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report that Breitbart Texas obtained revealed that “at least 71 individuals from the three nations affected by the current Ebola outbreak have either turned themselves in or been caught attempting to illegally enter the U.S. by U.S. authorities between January 2014 and July 2014.” In addition, illegal immigrants from more than 75 countries were caught crossing the border this year.
The Democrats suggest additional funding for the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, more funding to provide lawyers for the illegal immigrant juveniles to ensure they get due process “as quickly as possible,” and discouraging migrants from making the journey with “public information campaigns that emphasize the dangers of the trip to the U.S. and promoting efforts to go after smuggling organizations, including increased penalties for those who profit from smuggling children.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.