There was a time in this country when Democrats were proponents of national security, making fiery speeches on soap boxes whenever a camera and microphone were turned on. Until 2016, and the election of President Trump, who campaigned on stopping the influx of illegal immigrants, Democrats were spouting national security-themed rhetoric and voting to build fences along the border.
Even former Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) was on the bandwagon early to stop immigration, depicting illegals as criminal parasites when referring to birthright citizenship:
“If making it easy to be an illegal alien isn’t enough, how about offering a reward for being an illegal alien? No sane country would do that, right? Guess again … Is it any wonder that two-thirds of the babies born at taxpayer expense in the county-run hospitals in Los Angeles are born to illegal alien mothers?”
In 2005, in the early days of his time in the Senate, Barack Obama warned of illegal immigration, “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the U.S. undocumented, undetected, unchecked, circumventing the people who are waiting patiently, diligently, lawfully to become immigrants in this country.”
And he pursued a solution.
In 2006, a bipartisan bill was passed and signed into law by then-President George W. Bush known as the Secure Fence Act. Former Senators Barack Obama (D-IL), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Joe Biden (D-DE), and current Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) enthusiastically voted for the bill – which mandated a fence across the southern border.
This amended the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, directing the Department of Homeland Security “to provide at least two layers of reinforced fencing, installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors.” Congress set aside $1.4 billion for the fence, but experts at the time pegged the entire investment at $50 billion – to be spread out over 25 years.
What Changed?
In 2008, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blathered frequently on the topic. “We do need to address the issue of immigration and the challenge we have of undocumented people in our country. We certainly do not want any more coming in,” she said. The Democratic Party platform echoed the sentiment that year, referring to those entering the country “illegally” three times, yet by 2016, the document’s immigration section did not use the word at all – or any variation thereof. [perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”24″]They are focused on winning and they hate the president. [/perfectpullquote]
Recently, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer asked DNC Chair Tom Perez “what changed” that persuaded previously pro-reform Democrats to doggedly combat Trump on building a wall today. Perez dodged the question repeatedly, deflecting to his days under the Obama administration, saying, “Democrats have always believed in strong border security but we want smart border security.” Wishy-washy Perez artfully dodging questions on Fox News shouldn’t surprise anyone – and neither should the change in political views on illegals.
Democrats are hungry for power and confident the Latino population will give the party an electoral edge. They have all but abandoned white people and seem secure in their belief that black Americans won’t stray off the ideological plantation. They are focused on winning and they hate the president.
Trump continues to soldier on amidst the hateful and subjective rhetoric espoused by drive-by media and the Democrats, and has been ready at the table for two years to negotiate a compromise on behalf of the American people – who overwhelmingly support a border wall.
It’s time for this game of chicken to finish. Democrats could end this partial government shutdown by allocating a measly $5 billion for border security. When compared to the federal budget of well over $4 trillion, it’s simply pocket change.
Not so long ago, one man expressed the infuriation of millions of Americans: “When I see Mexican flags waved at pro-immigration demonstrations, I sometimes feel a flush of patriotic resentment. When I’m forced to use a translator to communicate with the guy fixing my car, I feel a certain frustration.”
Oh, the audacity of that man, Barack Hussein Obama.
