By Bill O'Reilly
The sight of tens of thousands of foreign children being warehoused by the United States has angered many Americans. This is a humanitarian disaster and the federal government is at fault.
First, the stats: the number of children deported in 2008, the last year of the Bush administration was 8,143. 2013, the number dropped to 1,669 -- that means the Obama administration is not -- not aggressively seeking to send illegal children back to their home countries.
Because of that, the human smugglers in Mexico and Central America have launched a campaign to encourage parents to pay them thousands of dollars in return for taking their kids to the U.S. border. The smugglers were successful. And by the end of this fiscal year the USA may be dealing with more than 100,000 new illegal alien children -- again, a catastrophe.
Now, the liberal press is telling us, the kids are coming to the USA because they are in danger in their Central American countries. The liberal media wants the children to be resettled here for a variety of reasons including political ones. The truth is Central America has always been a cauldron of corruption. But we have never seen this kind of migratory movement before.
There are two main reasons why it's happening, first, the border is not secure. And second, the Obama administration has sent signals to the world that legal consideration will be given to people who come here illegally. The problem has been developing for years. But President Obama has done nothing about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: When we asked the President to come this last week, he made a decision not to come. There are just time-after-time you see a response from this administration that says you know what we are really not that interested in the southern border of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: And that is largely true. Mr. Obama has not made border security a priority.
Here's another true statement if you don't have border security, Congress will never pass so-called comprehensive immigration reform. The only way many Americans will accept a pathway for citizenship for millions of folks who have come here illegally is if the flow stops. That has to happen first.
On Friday, the "Wall Street Journal" editorialized this way. Quote: "The larger tragedy of this episode is that it has done enormous and needless damage to the cause of immigration reform. The Obama administration's incompetence has again undermined its own agenda. But once the misery of the children is past, no one should think that illegal immigration can be stopped by more enforcement alone by more border patrol agents or harassment of American business. The way to reduce illegal immigration is by providing more work visas to enter and leave the U.S. legally."
Well "Talking Points" does not believe many illegal aliens coming into the USA want to go through the red tape of applying legally even if you did reform the system. They are often uneducated and unskilled and are desperate. I do favor increase working visas for foreign nationals but I know the red tape involved will always be there because of the war on terror. Nothing is done quickly in that arena.
On the other side, the uber-liberal "New York Times" wants to blame the entire situation on the Republicans. It editorializes quote, "Republicans are feeding the cycle, stoking panic about a border under assault, even to the point of demanding Mr. Obama call out the National Guard. Nativist protesters are blocking buses of migrants in places like Murrieta, California. Homegrown militias are issuing calls to arms. Illegal border crossings, meanwhile, are still lower than they have been in years. The besieged border is a myth. And the arrival of a few thousand weary refugee children on buses does not make the myth true."
A few thousand weary children -- amazing. I think most Americans will see through the fallacious analysis for what it is -- another attempt by the far left media to drive an open border philosophy. Why on earth would the "New York Times" object to putting the National Guard on the border? That would stop the border intrusion cold and quickly stabilize an out-of- control situation which is harming foreign kids and American citizens alike. Would it not be humanitarian to stop the madness? We sent guard troops to New Orleans after Katrina, did we not?
But many on the left don't want to stop the illegal immigration -- again, for a variety of reasons. For example, the Democratic Party gains heavily from voting blocs who need entitlements as many new immigrants surely will.
Talking Points believes most Americans understand the rule of law on immigration has collapsed and they don't like it. President Obama is taking most of the flack as he should even though he is trying to blame the Republican house for the debacle.
Last week comedian Paul Rodriguez who legally came here from Mexico said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL RODRIGUEZ, COMEDIAN: You know, my heart goes out to the parents that have to traumatize their kids to go through Mexico. They must go through terrible abuse. But at the same time, if we accept these children and we don't repatriate them it's only going to send out a clear signal to everyone in Latin America that if you get to America, you will stay here. And then if you think those numbers are big now. It's hard to trust a statistic.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: People may be surprised to hear that coming from someone who is an immigrant.
RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely. But you know there are ways to come to this country there are ways -- there are legal ways.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Mr. Rodriguez pointing out that many more illegal aliens had arrived here and have not been processed. They got passed border authorities and there are legal ways to come here. Once again the problem is solvable. My immigration reform plan is posted on BillOReilly.com and it would work. But all Americans should know that no reform, as I said, no reform will take place until the southern border is under control. And right now it certainly is not.
And that's "The Memo."
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