There are three very clear, very distinct and incontrovertible truths in America when it comes to immigration and border control. They are truths that we should not marginalize or forget, but that we should keep at the top of mind moving forward.
The first truth is that America is a country of immigrants. We are a nation that was founded by tough and resilient people who broke from their colonial overseers on principle and who forged a great, diverse, and strongly-bonded nation with successive generations of immigrants coming to our shores from all around the world. All of what is great that America has achieved and what America still offers – from a philosophy of freedom, to world-changing inventions, to science and engineering – would not be without immigrants.
The second truth is that America is a country that now – due to a devastating combination of ill-conceived policy and reckless messaging – is reeling from a border security crisis of unconscionable heights. It is a real crisis with daily ramifications that is imperiling the lives and livelihoods of American citizens across the country. It is causing the exploitation of the desperate and vulnerable and filling the coffers of brutal criminals and thugs.
And the third truth – related to the first and second – is that no country has real sovereignty without borders. This is a plain fact that unfortunately gets lost in the back-and-forth discussions about American border security and immigration policy. And while all of the humanitarian and economic arguments can be made for having flexible approaches to immigration – the fact is that no country has sovereignty without tight, consistent and uniform border security. Most importantly, this issue of sovereignty is not just academic – it is an important reason for why immigrants come to America, and decide to be full-fledged citizens of our country.
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What Americans of all political stripes in the southwest border-states know is that our current crisis has essentially been ignored by the powers in Washington DC…ignored until the topic becomes too hot for comfort and they’re forced to at least make it look like they’re doing something constructive. The fact that it is a real crisis is perhaps part of the reason the Biden Administration has just quietly worked to complete some more border wall sections here in our home State of Arizona. But for citizens who call Arizona home, and who see the deleterious effects of unchecked immigration, narcotics trafficking, transnational crime and vicious human exploitation, this seems like a cynical ploy, and it is too little too late.
It is for these reasons why I have called for Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas to be impeached for what is a clear dereliction of his duties as the primary official in charge of maintaining a secure border and for administering a just and humane immigration policy. It is also for these reasons why I intend to tackle this issue head-on, with full-force and experience should I be elected to the U.S. Senate.
Perhaps the most frustrating and unfortunate aspect of our current calamity at the border is that much of this could have been stopped. It didn’t have to spiral into the massive problem it has become. It could have been addressed early on with commitment to the rule of law, strong support for our federal law enforcement agencies charged with protecting our borders, and without the destructive pandering to activist groups with political and economic agendas that run counter to the wishes and desires of a majority of the Nation. It shouldn’t be a red versus blue or liberal versus conservative issue. The fact is that when criminal organizations exploit a weak border in order to push poisonous narcotics or to sell the vulnerable into slavery, they do so without one single thought about American politics. A porous border, with backwards enforcement policies is a detriment to all Americans.
As Arizonans go to the polls on Tuesday, August 2nd and cast a vote for the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate for Arizona, please keep these things in mind. Think of America as a strong Nation with an imperative need for fair but firm legal immigration policies and what we can accomplish if this is the standard we adhere to. Think of America as a Nation where the rule of law is still important, vital to sovereignty and democracy, and how we must emphasize this truth moving ahead.
And finally, think of the accountability, courage and experienced leadership that we desperately need in Washington DC – to ensure that American communities, composed of patriots from all backgrounds and walks of life, are safe, sound and secure again.
Mick McGuire (GEN, USANG, Ret.) is the former Adjutant General for the State of Arizona and a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.
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