Fact Check: Illegal Immigration
To hear the Trumpster tell it you would think President Obama is at the border giving them a leg over the fence.
What bullshit.
First, illegal immigration from Mexico is an historic issue, as is the importation of illegal drugs.
In both cases we have ourselves to blame.
Americans buy and consume cocaine, heroin and marijuana in great quantities.
So too, American employers are happy to hire illegal workers and pay them less while breaking the law.
Faced with the results we immediately blame someone else.
Border Enforcement
“From 1990 to 2007, the population of undocumented individuals in the United States grew from 3.5 million to 11 million people.”
That’s a tall problem to fix.
Security measures at the border have more than doubled since 2008, including the addition of over 3,000 more agents.
Illegal border crossings have been cut in 1/2.
“Border apprehensions — a key indicator of border security — are at their lowest level since the 1970s.”
The President’s enforcement program:
– focuses on national security threats, serious criminals, and recent border crossers
– expands smart enforcement efforts that target convicted criminals in federal or state correctional facilities, allowing us to remove them from the United States at the end of their sentences without re-entering our communities
– holds accountable those undocumented immigrants who have lived in the US for more than five years and are parents of U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents
– cracks down more forcefully on businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers
Meanwhile, Republicans are threatening to shut down the Department of Homeland Security.
Right, great idea, very helpful.