One “false fact” I frequently hear from many conservative Republicans is that liberal Democrats in general, and the Joe Biden administration in particular, are pursuing policies that create “open borders.” It’s their equivalent of “fake news.” The fact is the U.S. does not have an open-borders policy nor is it pursuing policies that permit anyone to enter the U.S. willy-nilly. In some cases conservatives simply repeat what they’ve heard without verifying it, but in some cases they are outright lying and know what they are saying is not true. They just hate liberals and any shot that can be taken is worth taking. Liberals do the same, just on different issues.
One thing is certain: The U.S. does have serious problems at the southern border and our Byzantine immigration system needs to be revamped to consider present-day realities, but that doesn’t mean the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, or even the White House or Congress wants to erase our southern border. What’s really going on is our government is reluctant to face the problem head-on due to fear of incurring the wrath of many of the voices that put them in office or can vote them out. There is no consensus on how to deal with it, so the default is to ignore it and focus on other matters. Nevertheless, the Biden administration is carrying on with apprehensions and deportations as usual. That has not changed. I wonder if anyone knows President Barack Obama, Biden’s “mentor,” deported more “immigrant wannabe’s” than any president in U.S. history.
What I see is frustration with a government afraid to tackle problems that, if dealt with appropriately, carry certain political risks and fallout, but I see no point in accusing it of things it hasn’t done. That runs the risk of reducing the accusers’ credibility and getting an otherwise valid case thrown out of court. So, as much as I don’t believe half of what comes out of the mouths of liberals, I likewise don’t believe half of what comes out of the mouths of conservatives, either. Both are guilty of politically and emotionally charged nonsense.
The real solution is for both sides to come to agreement on what the problem is and how to solve it. Until then we will have this.
Arthur Saginian
Santa Clarita
