According to information on the website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there is no crisis at the southwest border of the United States! The so-called national security crisis that resulted in Donald Trump shutting down parts of the U.S. government for 35 days is a lie manufactured by Donald Trump. At this time, a Bipartisan Working Group of Representatives and Senators is trying to reach a compromise about border security measures against an arbitrary deadline established by Trump. Trump has declared that if the Working Group does not fund his Wall, to the tune of $5.7 billion, he will once again shut down the government.
This is all a huge, steaming pile of political BS! There is no national security crisis at the southwest border, there is no need to waste a colossal amount of taxpayer money for a Trump Wall, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirms this on it’s website!
Below, I have placed some pertinent facts - FACTS! - copied from the DHS website today. Read it, and try to control your outrage.
From a report: Efforts by DHS to Estimate Southwest Border Security between Ports of Entry. Office of Immigration Statistics. Department of Homeland Security. September 2017 (https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/17_0914_estimates-of-border-security.pdf accessed Feb. 10, 2019)
“With respect to border enforcement outputs, available data indicate that the southwest land border is more difficult to illegally cross today than ever before” (p. 19).
“With respect to border enforcement outcomes, available data also indicate the lowest number of illegal entries at least since 2000, and likely since the early 1970s” (p. 19).
(POE - Port of Entry)
Border Security Results (https://www.dhs.gov/border-security-results accessed Feb. 10, 2019)
Southwest Border
- The Border Patrol is better staffed today than at any time in its 88-year history. Along the Southwest border, DHS has increased the number of boots on the ground from approximately 9,100 Border Patrol agents in 2001 to more than 18,500 today.
- CBP now screens 100 percent of southbound rail shipments for illegal weapons, drugs, and cash, has expanded Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) coverage to the entire Southwest border and completed 651 miles of fencing.
Apprehensions and Interdictions
- Illegal immigration attempts, as measured by Border Patrol apprehensions, have decreased 53 percent in the past three years, and are less than one third of what they were at their peak.
- Over the past three years, DHS has seized 74 percent more currency, 41 percent more drugs, and 159 percent more weapons along the Southwest border as compared to fiscal years (FY) 2006-2008.
Creating a Safer Border Environment
(https://www.dhs.gov/border-security-overview accessed Feb. 10, 2019)
Through increases in Border Patrol staffing; construction of new infrastructure and fencing; use of advanced technology—including sensors, radar, and aerial assets –investments to modernize the ports of entry; and stronger partnerships and information sharing, we are creating a safer, more secure, and more efficient border environment.
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So, where is the national security crisis? What is the Bipartisan Working Group actually doing? From all indications in the press, the Working Group is trying to find a compromise; but what is there to compromise about? There is no crisis at the border, so they are trying to find a compromise related to a Donald Trump campaign promise based on a massive lie, and subsequent temper tantrum by the Infant-in-Chief that resulted in serious harm to the lives and well-being of federal employees, contractors and many businesses. It's a sham, and they know it!
In my humble opinion, the largest threat to our national security sits behind the desk in the Oval Office!
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NOTE: members of the Congressional Bipartisan Working Group are:
House of Representatives: Nita Lowey (D, NY), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D, CA), David Price (D, NC), Barbara Lee (D, CA), Henry Cuellar (D, TX), Pete Aquilar (D, CA), Tom Graves (R, GA), Steven Palazzo (R, MS), Chuck Fleischman (R, TN), Kay Granger (R, TX)
Senate: Richard Shelby (R, AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R, WV), John Hoeven (R, ND), Roy Blunt (R, MO), Patrick Leahy (D, VT), Dick Durbin (D, IL), Jon Tester (D, MT).
