Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to see what is happening on our south texas border. Thousands of illegal immigrants, adolescents and children, many of whom are seriously ill, simply walking across the border and coming in at will every day. Our southern border has been virtually erased. This humanitarian and national security border crisis is a creation of President Barack Obama. As Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. federal government, it is his job to enforce the law.
He’s failing to do his job.
President Obama recently held a press conference in which he offered no new solutions, nor accepted any responsibility for this crisis. He offered no real substance on the issue, other than demanding House Republicans certify his previously lawless executive action of providing de-facto amnesty to some half a million illegal immigrants and dumping billions of dollars into the Department of Health and Human Services. In fact, only about $177 million out of the $3.7 billion the President has demanded Congress dole out would actually go to border security. All the while, as revealed by the Washington Post, that the President ignored warning bells from his own administration over a year ago of the impending immigrant crisis, yet did nothing.
The problem with the President’s current “solution” is that changing the law is not a sufficient answer to our problem. Current law requires and provides for a secure border if enforced. President Obama ignores and refuses to enforce the laws that are on the books – placing him in direct violation of his oath “to faithfully execute the laws of the United States of America”. We are a nation of laws Mr. President and your failure to carry out this duty is certainly worsening our problems.
If President Obama will not enforce the current border and immigration laws, he will not enforce a new one. To the president millions of illegal immigrants are merely pawns in a game to be used – as votes for bigger government for entitlement programs and for an ever-growing federal government. There is no other reason not to secure our border. A secure border results in a sovereign, secure and independent nation, and would lead us toward a legal immigration program that is fairer and safer for all Americans.
Our overwhelmed U.S. Border Patrol, now has less than half of its personnel actually working to secure our border. Our overwhelmed communities, already struggling to provide basic city services, adequate law enforcement and emergency responders to legal residents are now being seriously challenged to find ways to accommodate even more people. Our schools are overwhelmed to a point that in some communities the public education of our children is completely compromised.
Most importantly, we must remember this crisis goes way beyond statistics. These are people, many of them innocent children who are herded like animals by human traffickers and accompanied by drug couriers and dealers who use the mass chaos of the border to commit heinous crimes. Moreover not all of the immigrants are helpless children or innocent people looking for work. It is chilling to imagine that criminal and terrorist organizations could be already promoting and exploiting this opportunity to attack our country.
What can be done? First, the President must begin enforcing our border laws and secure the border. Second, it’s time for congress to act as an equal branch of our federal government. The United States Congress has the power of the purse strings to provide, or not provide funding for the entire federal government. If the President or his agencies won’t do their duty, it’s incumbent upon congress to cut the funding for individuals and agencies that abuse or neglect the law in direct violation of their oaths of office. We cannot continue to tolerate the endangerment of American lives, national security, the squandering of hard-earned taxpayer dollars, and the loss of sovereignty of the greatest and most blessed nation on earth.
The negligence of the President of the United States has created humanitarian crisis. It is irresponsible for him to ask the American people to pay for his own dereliction of duty. And it is unconscionable that the leader of the free world would let the least among us be exploited and abused by the worst among us in his political games.
This is not a game, Mr. President. And it is time that Congress and the American people tell him we are not playing.
Brian Babin is the Republican Nominee for Congress, Texas District 36
Woodville, TX
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