What happened to 2006 political process, actions?

Looking back at border coverage, differences between Bush, Trump and Biden are striking

Iwas doing some research in the Yuma Sun archives recently, when a line in one of our stories from 2006 jumped out at me. “President George W. Bush took a firsthand look at the infrastructure of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Yuma sector during a tour of the border west of San Luis, Ariz., – including a few laps in a sand rail.

“Border Patrol vehicles of all kinds were parked nearby, but it was a sand rail, sometimes called a dune buggy, that Bush was strapped into as a passenger. The vehicle was taken around in a large circle, kicking up a cloud of dust.”

Later in the story, the reporter mentioned that Bush met with one of the agents who monitored the surveillance cameras along the border.

“Were you able to see me riding that dune buggy?” Bush said.

“Yeah, it looked like you were having a good time,” Sutton said.

I keep trying to picture either President Biden or former President Trump doing something similar, and, readers, I just can’t see it.

What’s so fascinating to me was the lengths Bush went to in order to connect with the agents here in Yuma. He rode in a sand rail, he talked to the agents handling on-the-ground operations – and the visit was about THEIR needs. It was not just about Bush standing behind a podium pontificating.

Bush’s visit came during a time when there was a spike in immigration here, and his primary goal was to get the full picture, and then find a way to address it. He came in May, and that October, he signed legislation to address the border.

And, readers, Bush – a Republican – met with then Gov. Janet Napolitano – a Democrat – and by all accounts in our coverage at the time, the meeting was positive, and dare I say … pleasant.

Said Napolitano at the time, “I think coming to Yuma was smart. It was a good move because what we’re seeing in the Yuma sector is apprehensions going up, and in the Tucson sector apprehensions going down. It really underscores the need to deal with the entire border.”

Going back through our archives, I don’t see the political rancor that exists today. There was no finger wiggling between members of the two political parties – it was business. I’m sure there was a give and take process on both sides, and I’m sure there were some challenges between the Democrats and the Republicans, but it was not the issue in the spotlight at that moment.

Granted, I’m going in the wayback time machine here, to 2006. But was it really that long ago?

It’s strange to be nostalgic for behavior that existed just 18 years ago, but here we are. If Congress and the president could come to agreement 18 years ago, what’s stopping them today?