History will show that when it comes to the political battle over security at the U.S. border, Donald Trump is a loser.
Nothing he does — no matter how horrible — has worked to achieve his stated goals. In fact, he has made the situation worse, as border crossings have increased during his presidency.
And now Democrats are going on the attack. They know that they have a political winner. A large majority of American voters trust Democrats more than Republicans to come up with real solutions to the country’s immigration problems. Most voters also are not happy that their government has been putting children in cages who have been forcibly removed from their parents.
According to a new report from the AP, House Democrats will soon introduce legislation to deal with the recent waves of Central American migrants reaching the border.
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According to the AP’s Alex Sanz:
“The U.S. House measure would stand virtually no chance of winning approval by the Republican-led U.S. Senate, but it would let Democrats show voters they’re responsive to the rush of migrants that has overwhelmed federal officials.â€
The U.S. House measure would stand virtually no chance of winning approval by the Republican-led U.S. Senate, but it would let Democrats show voters they’re responsive to the rush of migrants that has overwhelmed federal officials. https://t.co/F4PqB8fLxO
— Alex Sanz (@AlexSanz) April 10, 2019
In the Senate, Democrats are pursuing their own tracks, which include exploring whether it would be possible to hold talks with the White House.
Even though the House proposal won’t be passed in the Senate let alone be signed by Trump, it would let Democrats show 2020 voters that they have a plan to deal with the new migrants who have overwhelmed federal officials and left border communities struggling to cope with the influx.
Democrats Are Proposing Realistic Solutions
In short, rather than just complaining about Trump’s moves, Democrats plan to propose their own solutions.
The House bill is expected to do the following:
- Increase federal resources at border entry points for processing refugees, counseling children and treating people needing medical care.
- Create centers in Central America where asylum applications could be processed, and
- Provide aid to reduce poverty and violence in the region so fewer people would flee.
“You don’t just wait for people to show up at the border. It’s the worst way to deal with it,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who’s working on the legislation with party leaders.
The proposal shows that Democrats are trying to find a middle ground between addressing the humanitarian crisis and not giving credence to Trump’s claims that hordes of immigrants are invading the country.
Trump has made the situation much worse by arresting migrants caught entering the U.S. illegally and slowing the processing of asylum seekers, which can take months or longer.
“This is a manufactured crisis,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
In the Senate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a senior member of the Judiciary committee, said she plans to introduce a bill that would beef up immigration courts to reduce a huge backlog of cases and prohibit separations of migrant families. The measure would face an uphill climb.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Democrats were discussing what legislation to propose and were trying to schedule meetings with the White House on the issue.
“This president is not an easy person to work with on this subject,” said Durbin.
Trump’s 2020 Strategy Will Backfire
Democrats contend that Trump’s goal is to rile up his conservative voters as his 2020 re-election campaign gets underway.
“He’s shown that over and over, he’s just anti-immigrant. And this is a campaign talking point for him,” said Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif.
It appears that through his extreme actions and words, Donald Trump has created a political opening for Democrats in the 2020 elections.
The vast majority of American voters are not as extreme as Trump and his advisers such as Stephen Miller. And the vast majority of Americans want their government to actually solve the real problems that exist.
If Americans want real solutions to problems, they will need to make sure that after 2020 the Democrats take control of the U.S. government.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
