Is reality about to intrude on America’s political class?For at least the last two decades, thatclerisy has assured us that immigration, legal or otherwise, is a virtue.We’ve alsobeen told that our lawlesssouthern border is coming under control.
In his first year in office, President Bill Clinton said, “Ibelieve we should stiffen our efforts to control the southern border.” He added“I think we should have more BorderPatrol agents and I think we should do moreto restrict illegal immigration.”
In a 2006 address from the Oval Office, President George W.Bush proclaimed that “the United States must secure its borders,” and said that“we are launching the mosttechnologically advanced border security initiativein American history.”
President Obama said “When I took office, I committed tofixing this broken immigration system, and I began by doing what I could tosecure our borders.”The WhiteHouseboasts that his subsequent efforts “represent the most serious andsustained effort to secure our border in our nation’s history.”
Enter one Francisco Sanchez.
Last week, Sanchez shot 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle for noapparent reason and she walked with her father at a popular tourist site in SanFrancisco.Steinle cried “help medad,” as she collapsed.She diedon the way to the hospital.
Sanchez is in the United States illegally, has a whoppingseven felony convictions, and has been deported back to Mexico five priortimes.
The Obama administration is trying to blame San Franciscofor not returning Sanchez to the feds for deportation when his last stint injail was complete.Certainly thereis plentyof blame to go around, but how it is possible that someone with multiplefelonies and illegal entries to the USA could ever be free to prey onlaw-abiding citizens?
The incident is not isolated.By many accounts, the vastly increased numbers of illegalscrossing our southern border have contributed to a crime wave.In 2013, the Obamaadministrationreleased 2,200 illegals from detention that it said “did not pose a violentthreat to public safety.”Aninvestigation by DHS’s own Inspector General found thatabout 600 of thosereleased had criminal convictions.Later reporting revealed many of the convictions were seriously andincluded homicide.
Yet, from our political class, we hear the same promises andfailed policy prescriptions.
In May, Hillary Clinton goaded her Republican opponentssaying that not one “is clearly and consistently supporting a path tocitizenship”—a euphemism for amnesty for illegalaliens.She claimed that comprehensiveimmigration reform will “will strengthen families, strengthen our economy, andstrengthen our country.”
Speaking in January in the same city where Kathryn Steinlewas later murdered, Jeb Bush said “We need to find a way, a path to legalizedstatus for those that have come hereand have languished in the shadows.” Laterhe observed of illegals that “they broke the law, but it’s not a felony. It’san act of love.”He called againfor a guest-worker program,a favorite rope-a-dope suggestion of the politicalclass, conveniently ignoring that we have had a guest-worker visa program sincethe 1940s.
In other words, both sides of our political establishment persistwith the same false assumptions, insincere promises, and faultyprescriptions.
There are alternative voices emerging.Donald Trump entered the presidentialrace with a jarring polemic against Mexican “rapists” and “killers.”While the murder of KathrynSteinlemakes him look prescient, Trump’s imprecision is a serious liability.Just as the true crime of Joe McCarthywas to enable the left to dismiss serious communist hunters,Trump may actuallymake it harder for mainstream Republicans to deviate from the received wisdomon immigration.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has taken a smarterapproach, casting this as a safety and economic issue.In April, he said “If the United Stateswas being attacked in one ofour water ports on the East or West Coast, we’d besending in our military forces, and yet we’re facing some of the samechallenges with international criminal organizations, thecartels that aretrafficking not only drugs but weapons and humans, and we need to step up andbe aggressive.”
Walker also went a step farther, saying that we need “alegal immigration system that’s based on, first and foremost, protecting Americanworkers and American wages.”Theidea of curbing both legal and illegal immigration put poohbahs on both leftand right in high dudgeon.But itis a debate America is ready to have, especially given this latest,clearfailure of bipartisan immigration policy.
Most Americans instinctively distrust Washington onimmigration.Crime previously focusedin border areas is spreading.Totalemployment — especially workforceparticipation—is still lousy and there is alegitimate question of whether it makes sense to enable companies to hireforeigners when qualified Americans can fill jobs.Nothingcan bring back Kathryn Steinle, but she need not havedied in vain if we can avoid others having to meet her tragic fate.