ON THE BORDER - Asylum Seekers

Again, I do not dislike the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on principle.  I DO dislike how some Boarder Patrol Agents act, they have in effect become Trump's Storm Troopers treating all immigrants as criminals (5 year old children?!) just because they are seeking a better life in America.  Asylum is the law and Asylum seekers should NOT be treated as criminals.

"What’s happening to U.S. asylum seekers forced to wait in Mexico" PBS NewsHour 2/14/2020

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  A new report from Human Rights Watch finds that the Trump administration’s controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy forces asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border to wait in crowded, unsafe and unsanitary conditions.  Many said they lived in constant fear of violence, with some reporting that they had actually been attacked.  Amna Nawaz speaks with Human Rights Watch's Michael Garcia Bochenek.

ON THE BOARDER - Acting Sec. of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan

But failure to fully address the causes of why people leave these South American countries.

"Kevin McAleenan on Central American migration and U.S. detention" PBS NewsHour 9/3/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Acting Sec. of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan recently met with El Salvador's new president, Nayib Bukele, about efforts to stem the tide of migrants heading north toward the U.S.  McAleenan sits down with Amna Nawaz, who also made the trip, to discuss what migration levels would be acceptable to the Trump administration and the U.S.-Mexico “partnership” to manage their shared border.

ON THE BORDER - The Effect of Political Instability

The real problem is Trump wanting loyalists, who will do his bidding, no matter what baggage they carry.  Another 'temporary' appointment Trump uses to avoid Concessional oversight.

"How political instability is making U.S. immigration situation worse" PBS NewsHour 6/25/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The U.S.-Mexico border continues to drive political turmoil.  After reports of miserable conditions for detained migrant children, John Sanders, acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, resigned.  Meanwhile, Congress is scrambling to reach a border funding deal.  Lisa Desjardins talks to reporter Bob Moore of the digital news organization El Paso Matters [El Paso Community Foundation] about the problem's origins.

"How conditions in U.S. detention centers can affect children’s health" PBS NewsHour 6/26/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The plight of migrant children held in U.S. detention centers continues to generate controversy.  As Congress battles over emergency funding for care and resources at the border, medical professionals warn that even brief exposure to the current conditions could be damaging to children’s health.  William Brangham reports and talks to pediatrician Julie Linton, who has visited some of the facilities.

ON THE BORDER - Opinion From El Paso

"How residents from El Paso feel about border barriers" PBS NewsHour 3/20/2019

Question, the Border Patrol demonstration in this video shows agents shouting in English to discourage boarder crossings by people from our South.  In English?!  Really?  They should be using recorded announcements in the languages of the people attempting to cross so they can be understood.

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Amid the roiling national debate about immigration and a border wall, construction crews in El Paso, Texas, are busy replacing 20 miles of wire mesh fencing with a bollard-style structure.  Border Patrol says this kind of barrier is crucial for preventing people from crossing the border illegally.  Special correspondent Angela Kocherga talks to El Paso residents about how it affects their community.