Opinion
President Obama announced a decision to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border. Mr. Obama is trying to appeal to enforcement-first and enforcement-only activists in and out of Congress with this escalation, but Republicans continue to distance themselves from any measures that include a path to citizenship for those in the US without documents.
The President has also continued to expand Bush-era policies that promote or force cooperation between Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement, like Secure Communities and 287(g). Obama has offered mild criticism to Arizona’s S.B.1070, which forces police departments (often against their will) to demand papers from anyone who appears illegal, but his Administration’s own policies are moving the whole country in that direction. While DC Jobs with Justice was able to stop Secure Communities from coming to the nation’s capitol, efforts in other places, like San Francisco, have encountered roadblocks in fighting the program.
By expanding enforcement, the President opens the door to laws like Arizona’s and copy-cat bills across the country and promotes a climate of fear. When anyone in this country is afraid to speak up against abuses on the job, or to report a crime, everyone is harmed. This week’s border troop increase makes this problem worse, not better.
