Despite agonizing requests from AZ Governor Jan Brewer and TX Governor Rick Perry to the White House, requesting National Guard deployments to help both states fight illegal immigration, it clearly appears President Obama is turning a deaf ear to his state counterparts. Monday, the governors met with federal agents sent by the White House, citing that President Obama plans to deploy 1200 additional National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.
However, the governors expressed frustration saying the deployment "simply wasn't enough."
Gov. Brewer requested a minimum of 3,000 troops, while Gov. Perry previously requested 1,000 as far back as January '09. Instead, Obama answers with deployment of 524 troops to Arizona, 250 to Texas, 224 to California, and 72 to New Mexico. Another 130 would man a national liaison office. Brewer also requested more aerial support, including unmanned drones to watch the border. To date, those requests remain unaddressed by the White House.
The meetings Monday follow months of heated debate sparked by the passage of a new Arizona law in April, which generally requires police investigating crimes or other incidences to ask people about their immigration status if there is reasonable suspicion, a law that two-thirds of Americans support according to a recent poll.
Numerous states also have similar immigration laws making their way through state legislatures, or are considering similar laws to help curb illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
However, what is most amazing is the fact that Mexican president Calderon has come against the AZ law, and even received a standing ovation and applause by members of the U.S. Congress in a recent state visit to our country. Yet, Mexico's immigration policy is less tolerable than the U.S. law.
Calderon should be embarrassed by the fact his economy and lack of job opportunities are the primary reasons his citizens are fleeing their country! Why doesn't he work with the U.S. to create better conditions and opportunities for his people so they wouldn't have a reason to flee the country?
You don't see many illegal Canadians crossing the borders up north in pursuit of a "better life." After all, Canada and the U.S. have very similar opportunities, and if anything, Americans may be moving up north for job opportunities if the government keeps killing the economy and raising taxes. Maybe we should re-route the Mexicans to Canada since the U.S. is running out of opportunities.
In a recent story on one of the major news networks, many Mexicans are going back to their country because they "no longer see America as a land of opportunity." While that is a sad statement, it may end up being the foundation of Obama's immigration reform bill. Kill the American economy and no one will WANT to come here for opportunity.
And I wonder what other countries will do when there is a mass exodus of Americans fleeing our country, pursuing other lands of opportunity?
Hopefully, we will never allow it to get that bad. America is STILL the greatest nation and land of opportunity out there, but it won't be for long if we don't act fast to stop illegal immigration.
And the debate will continue...
