Dems should say yes to Trump’s border wall
Better battle for my party is over how to pay for it
Before that headline makes you lick the tip of your poison pen, or crack your knuckles in preparation for nasty tweets aimed my way, hear me out.
I’m one of you. I was enthusiastic about a Hillary Clinton presidency. I’ve donated to Democratic campaigns for two years in an effort to slow the moral corrosion that comes with every candidate who bears the Trump brand. And, as a gay Jew, I’m a member of two minority groups.
I believe that part of what makes America great is its diversity. With that said, every country has the right to decide whom it allows into its borders. This principle is the most basic component of a country’s sovereignty. Why, then, have Democrats gone ride or die against a border wall?
I know the talking points: A wall will not end illegal immigration; our economy relies on work performed by immigrants; U.S. citizens commit more crime than people illegally in this country. All these things are true, but none supports the logic Democrats have relied on in their unbending opposition.
While a physical barrier will not end illegal immigration, it will surely be a deterrent. If more immigrants are needed to work jobs Americans won’t take, legal immigration can be increased. Most important, it is not fair to argue that a barrier to illegal immigration will not reduce crime because Americans commit more crime than people who are illegally in the country. One does not follow the other.
It’s a rare Democrat who calls for open borders. But Democrats’ own proposals for securing the border have been delivered in such hushed tones that the party comes across as blindly objecting to all forms of border security.
While most immigrants do not pose a risk to our safety, the ones who do are a ticking political time bomb. At some point, a person illegally in this country is going to make use of laws that allow easy access to an assault rifle. The news will be political catnip for Donald Trump and the GOP. An event of this kind that detonates in the approach to the 2020 election could change the trajectory of the election for the worse. It’s a risk Democrats cannot take.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer need to unite Democrats in strong support of border security. They need to acknowledge the risks posed by illegal immigration and commit to the fight against it. Securing the border is not the same as racism, and Democrats need to stop pretending it is.
I get that “the wall” has become a symbol of bigotry. But tilting at symbolic windmills is a luxury Democrats cannot afford. There is a battle to be fought, but Democrats need to pick the right battle. It’s not the wall; it’s the money. It’s the $8.6 billion Trump wants that could be spent on priorities such as after-school meals, medical research and educational programs.
Democrats should be saying “yes” to the wall but insist that Trump keep his promise that Mexico pay for it. They also should be suggesting that he and congressional Republicans fund the wall through increased taxes on people like Sheldon Adelson, Trump’s biggest donor, who saved $670 million under the 2017 GOP tax law. Most important, they should be rallying behind Trump backers who want to privately fund a border wall, as has been proposed by Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio.
Democrats should relish the idea of Trump, his base and billionaire party funders depleting their resources on a wall rather than contributions to Republican candidates. Fox News could freshen its prime-time programming with telethons in which Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham man the phones and beg viewers for donations. Chickfil-A could step up as a corporate sponsor and Ted Nugent could headline.
If a border wall gets built without robbing the piggy bank that funds important liberal causes, great. When it doesn’t, its champions will have only themselves to blame.
Michael J. Stern, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors, was a federal prosecutor for 25 years in Los Angeles and Detroit.