Border stories
So send him a bill
Atale of two stories: The first came on Friday, when the paper said that Gov. Sarah Sanders was supporting Texas in its border fight with the federales. As we said the other day, it’s hard to blame Texas on this one. Something like seven million illegal aliens have come across the Rio Grande in the three years that Joe Biden has been in office. Texas happens to be on the front line of this invasion.
Half the nation’s governors have signed off on a letter saying they, too, backed Texas’ efforts to secure the border. And just to show how much the current president has brought the country together, every one of Arkansas’ congressional delegation is cheering on the Texans.
Maybe somebody brought this to the attention of President Biden. Because the second story came in Monday’s paper, when he said he would (finally) be willing to close the U.S.-Mexico border if lawmakers would “only send him a bill to sign,” according to the AP.
Well. If the president would’ve taken that position months ago, his/our/their Ukraine funding wouldn’t be in limbo.
In South Carolina over the weekend, the president seemed to finally think that compromise was the best solution. If he wants aid for the Ukrainians (he’s right to want that aid), he’d have to give up something to conservatives in Congress. Namely, a secured southern border.
“A bipartisan bill would be good for America and help fix our broken immigration system,” the president said. “And allow speedy access for those who deserve to be here, and Congress needs to get it done. It’ll also give me as president the emergency authority to shut down the border until it could get back under control. If that bill were the law today, I’d shut down the border right now and fix it quickly.”
Who knew the president couldn’t shut down the border? Certainly not us. It might help if his administration would send a message to the world that we’re serious about having a border. Over the last three years, it has done anything but.
This administration might be in danger of pulling a hamstring, it’s changing directions so fast. How do we know? The AP says the president’s latest statement “was met with astonishment and shock from immigrant advocates” who say tougher border policies are not what they expected from this guy.
Unfortunately, now Donald Trump has been heard from. He vows to make a compromise even tougher by leaning on congressional members from red districts. But the fault of this border policy is all Biden’s—for postponing compromise till an election year.
Leave it to Joe Biden to seek compromise—a year too late.
We encourage Congress to send the president a bill. Better late than never. But if you’re the gambling sort, we wouldn’t encourage putting any money on a fix this year.
And that’s a shame. For illegal immigrants, American citizens, and the spirit of compromise in general.