Restoring America: Militarizing the Southern Border

Immigration reform is one of the most divisive issues in this country. Like him or not, Americans should give credit to President Obama for continuing to address "third rail" issues. The President is pushing for passage of the DREAM Act, which died last year in the Senate thanks to a Republican filibuster. Under the DREAM Act "qualifying undocumented youth would be eligible for a six year long conditional path to citizenship that requires completion of a college degree or two years of military service." Although the DREAM Act represents progress, President Obama lacks a comprehensive plan for illegal immigration. He is not alone; Congress seems unwilling to take on illegal immigration as well. A major hurdle of addressing the issue is whether to focus on securing the border or dealing with illegal immigrants already in the United States.

An Unsecure Border

President Obama claims that the border is secure; however, this is not the case. A Rasmussen poll indicates that only 30% of Americans believe the border is secure, while 64% say it is not. The Government Accountability Office reinforces this belief by stating that just 15% of the 2,000 mile border with Mexico is totally secure. There is no doubt that the 12 million illegal immigrants in America must be dealt with at some point, but to deal with them now, while the border remains a sieve is a mistake. 50% of Americans do not believe the border is secure enough to start dealing with existing illegal immigrants. It is clear that the border must first be secured.

Securing the border has proved a slippery slope. No one can forget President Bush's attempt to secure the 2,100 mile border with a 700 mile fence; a sore subject that drew boos at President Obama's May 10^th rally. President Obama sent 1,200 more National Guardsmen in May of 2010 to assist with border security. Both these policies have failed to stop illegal immigration, and the fact remains that those wishing to cross the American border simply must work up the nerve. If political ideology was set aside the border could be secured with a common sense solution.

Redeployment is the Answer

The United States currently has 53,951 troops in Germany. In the words of Bill Maher, "Hitler, I think we got him." The deployment of American troops in Europe remains an example of foreign policy from a bygone era. The Pentagon should take 25,000 of the 38,000 Army members in Germany and deploy them to the southern border. This would still leave over 28,000 American troops in Germany to counter Russian influence, while providing much needed support to the 20,000 border agents and 344 National Guardsmen currently providing security on the border with Mexico. Why should the United States keep these troops overseas when they could be used right here at home? Ironically, the Defense Department is against militarizing the border, saying that troops should not be used as a police force. However, the American military has been serving as a police force in Iraq for eight years. Americans should be asking why their sons and daughters can patrol the streets of Baghdad, while their own border is unsecure. It is understandable that sending the military to the border would set off a firestorm with immigration advocates.

In exchange for militarizing the border, the Obama administration should seek an amnesty program for illegal immigrants living in the United States. It is impossible for the United States to seek out and deport every illegal immigrant. In addition, illegal immigrants provide vital services to southern agriculture. Amnesty has proved to be politically unpopular in the past, but securing the southern border could provide the political capital necessary to push amnesty through. Current immigration policy in this country is broken. The Cold War era deployment of U.S. troops overseas strains the budget and spreads the military too thin. Let's begin to address both problems and stop the influx of illegal immigration to the United States. Then, and only then, we can offer those illegal immigrants already here a fair path to citizenship.