President Barack Obama pledged during the campaign and after taking office that he would work on immigration reforms during his first year.
Well, a year has come and gone and he has nothing new on immigration and specifically border security. More than 1,000 illegals flood across our southern border with Mexico every day.
When President Bush tried to advance comprehensive immigration reforms in his second term in office, he was soundly rebuffed because the American people wanted our borders hardened first and foremost before any broad reforms were tackled.
Now, in light of the escalating violence we have seen on our southern border, including kidnapping, robbery, and murder, it is imperative that our government take swift and permanent action to secure our nation's borders immediately.
If the president wanted an issue where he can get true and meaningful bipartisan support for an important national interest, then he is wise to advance an all-out effort to secure our borders.
The United States should seek to beef up our border security immediately with personnel and advanced technologies that cross government disciplines.
It means utilizing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, the CIA, the Justice Department, and even the Department of Defense in a coordinated and defined mission.
If we can send troops and deploy unmanned predator drones to secure the borders of foreign lands, then we can surely deploy them to help secure our own.
Although governors have the power to deploy the National Guard, they do so at their own state's cost and expense. Securing our nation's borders is NOT the responsibility of the governor; it is the obligation of our president and commander in chief.
All the president needs to do is sign a presidential order authorizing the deployment of troops to aid civilian and law enforcement agencies in the mission of border security.
For the past year governors from New Mexico, California, Arizona, and Texas have requested military to assist with border security; however, the cavalry never showed up.
As a result of inaction, violence has escalated and more illegals cross into our country with impunity.
We need a military style precision operation to effectively secure our borders. It is not about "militarizing" our borders, which our president finds offensive.
It is about keeping America safe.
The president took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the nation. He better start preserving, protecting, and defending our borders from those who seek to do us harm by using all the assets available to do so.
Bradley A. Blakeman was the deputy assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001-2004.
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