A border crisis of our own making

It’s past time for real immigration reform

Few would dispute that our country’s immigration system is broken or that the United States needs comprehensive immigration reform.

It’s a problem that has confounded our nation’s leaders for decades, in part because it’s a hot-button issue that inflames emotions.

There’s little doubt that the failure of past presidents and federal lawmakers to come up with a reasonable solution has set the stage for many of the immigration problems we face today. But that doesn’t excuse the Trump administration’s policy that resulted in the separation of more than 2,300 immigrant children from parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Trump administration had argued it had no choice but to handle the situation in that manner, but Wednesday’s reversal made it clear that wasn’t the case. Some in the administration have even acknowledged that the family separations were done, at least in part, to send a message to those seeking to enter our southern border illegally.

If there’s a silver lining to this tragic situation it’s that everyday Americans, along with doctors, lawyers, religious leaders, immigrant advocates, politicians, and, yes, even Republican members of Congress, rose up in opposition to the practice — screaming in unison that this isn’t who we are as a country.

They got the administration to back down, with Trump signing an executive order halting his policy of separating children from their parents when they are detained illegally crossing the U.S. border.

Separating parents from children was truly reprehensible, but now that Trump has reversed the policy, it’s time for everyone to stop the grandstanding and get to work on reuniting the children with their families and on coming up with a sensible immigration policy.

A policy that increases border security — because far too many drugs, thanks to the Mexican cartels, are making their way into neighborhoods all over the U.S. A policy that addresses the Dreamers’ situation. And a policy that resolves who is eligible to immigrate legally into this country and what to do with those already here.

The hard work of hammering out a bipartisan immigration deal should start with our own congressional delegation, two of whom are facing off in the governor’s race. U.S. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Steve Pearce appear far apart and bent on pointing fingers.

Both opposed the idea of separating families, but that’s about the only common ground between them.

Defenders of the administration’s decision to separate children from their parents argued, among other things, that the Obama administration had done the same thing, that it was the children’s parents’ fault for breaking the law and that it was justified because it got Congress talking about immigration reform.

It’s true the Obama administration detained families, but it rarely separated a parent from a child — reserving that for such instances as when a parent was caught carrying drugs or other contraband. To be sure, the Obama administration also had to deal with an influx of unaccompanied minors who showed up at our border, but that wasn’t the result of that administration separating kids from their parents.

Unaccompanied minors continue to pour across the border. Many of them are being housed in a fenced-off cluster of tents near Tornillo, Texas — where politicians have descended in recent days to get their pictures taken and capitalize on the scandal.

In contrast to Obama, the Trump administration’s decision to institute a zero-tolerance policy for immigrants illegally crossing into the United States meant that everyone caught was charged with a crime, and parents were separated from their children. Under Trump, more than 2,300 immigrant children were separated from their parents.

Arguing that it was OK to traumatize these children because it finally got Congress talking about immigration is morally reprehensible.

And it’s true that parents can keep this from happening by simply not entering the U.S. illegally. But when someone crosses into the U.S. illegally for the first time, it’s a misdemeanor.

Lost in these arguments is the severe damage caused to children — especially young kids — when they’re pulled away from their families. Experts say it’s a major risk factor for mental health problems later in life and can last well into adulthood.

Defenders of the policy also fail to consider the horrors that some of these immigrants are fleeing in their home countries, which includes gang violence, something the Trump administration says will no longer be considered grounds for asylum.

That said, securing our borders is crucial for our nation. The reality is that there are far more people who want to move to the U.S. than we can accommodate. The federal government has an obligation to regulate who enters our country to keep criminals and contraband out and to protect us. But it doesn’t help matters when President Trump takes to Twitter to refer to illegal immigrants as an infestation.

“Democrats are the problem. They don’t care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country, like MS-13...” Trump tweeted on Tuesday, a day before he reversed his policy of separating children.

We’re at a dangerous point in our nation’s history, and it’s up to each of us to stand up and demand that our government and our public officials act morally.

Immigration is a complicated issue that won’t be solved with quick fixes. That’s how we end up with terrible policies including forced separation of immigrant children from their parents. The Trump administration needs to move quickly to reunite the children and parents who have been separated in order to minimize the damage that’s been done.

And Democrats and Republicans need to stop kicking the can while using immigration as a club to bloody one another. While the president now says reforms should wait until after the mid-term elections, there’s no time like the present to address an issue that threatens to tear our nation apart. Congress needs to come up with a sensible bipartisan bill that finally secures our borders, protects Dreamers and inserts reality and fairness into our immigration system.