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The US-Mexico “open border” concept is a big lie

Ruben Navarrette Columnist, host & author
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Immigration has become a major headache for President Biden as he continues to manage a large influx of migrants along the southern border. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, have sent buses and planes full of migrants up north as part of their effort to protest what they call President Biden’s “open border policies.” Some Texas lawmakers are even recommending “closing the border.” Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette argues that any suggestion that the U.S.-Mexico border is “open” is “a big lie.”

It’s time to drive a wooden stake through the big lie. No, not that big lie. Not the one about how former President Donald Trump is still the current president because the 2020 election was stolen. That’s crazy. I’m talking about the other big lie, the one that lives and breathes on the U.S.-Mexico border. There are some people who actually believe that the United States has a quote, “open border,” and that migrants from Mexico and refugees from Central America, South America, and even faraway Haiti can just sachet across the line as they please, and U.S. officials won’t do anything to stop them. How can I say this diplomatically? Anyone who believes this is a moron.

Recently, this ridiculous claim of an open border and specifically that President Biden presides over one, was put to me by a San Antonio radio host. Ay Karamba. Geography Matters. See the host is in San Antonio. San Antonio is in Texas. And Texas is one of the four states that borders Mexico. And it’s the one that whines the most about how it’s being invaded, albeit by people who are eager to do jobs that Texans won’t do. Here are three facts I told the host.

One, Biden is a two-faced liar on immigration who almost never met a Trump immigration policy he didn’t like and co-op as his own. Biden supports building walls and fences on the border, dating back to his vote for the Secure Fence Act of 2006. Back when he was in the Senate, and leading up all the way to the present day when his administration is quietly mending and not ending Trump’s deteriorating border wall. And when Biden was ordered by a federal judge to restart the remain in Mexico program that Trump used to warehouse Central Americans in Mexico, while their asylum claims were being rejected, while the Democrat folded in Haitians, who were also showing up the U.S. Mexico border – yeah, oh, lunch bucket Joe is a real softy on immigration, isn’t he?

Two, what makes the border open in the minds of some folks I’ve got to ask is the fact that Mexicans and desperate people from around the world are trying to get into the United States for safety, freedom or economic opportunity, please, that’s always going to happen. That’s the whole point of this country. Look at the brochure – taking in the stranger is baked into the brand of this place. This movement of human beings north across the border has been occurring since the United States stole the southwest from Mexico in 1848. You can’t have two countries side by side on a map with a wage disparity of 10 to one and not expect people are going to vote with their feet and choose the richer country for their own survival. That’s economics 101, but it’s also basic geography.

And three, the wild claim that we have an open border wall convenient for Republicans who want to scare up support from white people. It depends on a related claim — that there’s no law enforcement presence on the border.

It’s time to drive a wooden stake through the big lie. No, not that big lie. Not the one about how former President Donald Trump is still the current president because the 2020 election was stolen. That’s crazy. I’m talking about the other big lie, the one that lives and breathes on the US Mexico border. There are some people who actually believe that the United States has a quote, open border, and that migrants from Mexico and refugees from Central America, South America, and even faraway Haiti can just sachet across the line as they please. And US officials won’t do anything to stop them. How can I say this diplomatically? Anyone who believes this is a moron? Recently, this ridiculous claim of an open border and specifically that President Biden presides over one was put to me by San Antonio RADIO HOST I Karumba. Geography Matters. See the host is in San Antonio. San Antonio is in Texas. And Texas is one of the four states that borders Mexico. And it’s the one that whines the most about how it’s being invaded. I’ll be it by people who are eager to do jobs that Texans won’t do. Here are three facts I told the host.

One Biden is a two faced liar on immigration who almost never met a Trump immigration policy he didn’t like and Co Op as his own. Biden supports building walls and fences on the border, dating back to his vote for the Secure Fence Act of 2006. Back when he was in the Senate, and leading up all the way to the present day

when his administration is quietly mending and not ending Trump’s deteriorating border wall. And when Biden was ordered by a federal judge to restart the remain in Mexico program that Trump used to warehouse Central Americans in Mexico, while their asylum claims were being rejected, while the Democrat folded in Haitians, who were also showing up the US Mexico border Yeah. Oh, lunch bucket. Joe is a real softy on immigration, isn’t he? To what makes the border open in the minds of some folks I’ve got to ask is the fact that Mexicans and desperate people from around the world are trying to get into the United States for safety, freedom or economic opportunity, please, that’s always going to happen. That’s the whole point of this country. Look at the brochure taking in the stranger is baked into the brand of this place. This movement of human beings north across the border has been occurring since the United States stole the southwest from Mexico in 1848. You can’t have two countries side by side on a map with a wage disparity of 10 to one and not expect people are going to vote with their feet and choose the richer country for their own survival. That’s economics 101, but it’s also basic geography. And three, the wild claim that we have an open border wall convenient for Republicans who want to scare up support from white people. It depends on a related claim that there’s no law enforcement presence on the border.

Biden’s fiscal year budget for 2022 for the Department of Homeland Security, provides $1.2 billion for border security. The Border Patrol has over 19,000 agents, all boat relative handful are deployed to the US Mexico border. You see the real open border is the one we have a Canada the BP has drones, horses, all terrain vehicles, boats, planes, helicopters, and hundreds of miles of sensors and surveillance equipment. I’ve been to the border several times in Texas, California and Arizona. Parts of it aren’t as militarized as Berlin was during the Cold War. For that we can think former President Bill Clinton a Democrat who in the 1990s Implement Operation Gatekeeper in California, Operation hold the line in Texas and operation safeguard in Arizona all the fortify the US Mexico border. dejected, the San Antonio radio host responded well, it feels like an open border. Well, so what Americans feel all kinds of crazy stuff. For example, many Latinos feel that 100% of the public resistance to immigration is about racism toward brown people. That isn’t true. It’s only about 50%. There’s nothing open about the US Mexico border. And Republicans and other conservatives need to stop saying otherwise. It just confuses everyone. Unless that’s the point

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