Immigration Policy is Vital to National Security
A car bomb explosion. Seventy-two civilians shot to death. We typically associate such tragic events with war torn countries halfway around the world. But both of these incidents occurred on the Mexican border in just the past two weeks. While the car bomb that exploded days ago in front of the offices of a television station did not cause casualties, a previous bomb in July killed three people, including a federal police officer.
The escalating violence of the Mexican drug wars illustrates what conservatives have said all along: Immigration reform is, first and foremost, a national security issue. While the vast majority of immigrants are generally law-abiding individuals who come to America to seek a better life, our porous border does not make a distinction between the aspiring migrant worker and the dangerous criminal. The massacre of the 72 immigrants serves as a tragic example. Authorities believe the victims were killed because they refused to help a gang smuggle drugs into America. The scale of this appalling crime underscores so many elements of our border issues: the sheer number of immigrants attempting to reach America each day, the magnitude of violence employed by drug gangs, and -- most of all -- the frequency and determination with which criminals seek to exploit our vulnerable border.
Due to the fatal defiance of the 72 victims, the cartels apparently did not succeed in their transaction this time. But Oklahomans know all too well that other cartel members have already reached America and are active in our state. The arrest in late June of a suspected Sinaloa Cartel member in Oklahoma City is an alarming consequence of our failed border policy.
What is the Obama administration doing to get our border under control? Not enough. Although his party controls majorities in both houses of Congress sufficient to pass the immigration legislation promised during his campaign, the president has yet to submit any such bill. Instead, he has kept Congress tied up for the better part of a year debating a government health care takeover opposed by most citizens.
Unfortunately, the administration's most noteworthy border policy achievement has been its successful effort to prevent Arizona from enforcing federal immigration laws. When that state passed a law authorizing police officers to investigate the immigration status of individuals detained in the course of standard law enforcement activities, the Obama administration sued, and a federal judge blocked Arizona's law in late July. The claim by Obama's Justice Department that the law interfered with federal law is particularly preposterous considering that the utter lack of federal enforcement prompted Arizona to take action in the first place.
Developments in Arizona have direct repercussions in Oklahoma, as evidenced by the case of the alleged cartel member. A law enforcement official stated that the suspected drug dealer "received a dispatch from Mexico and was told to leave Phoenix because of the new immigration law" and "set up shop in Oklahoma City." Despite having one previous conviction and deportation for drug possession, the suspect still managed to evade detection and continue his illegal activities up until his apprehension in Oklahoma City.
We need vigorous, nationwide enforcement of federal laws; otherwise, the current patchwork of state laws will continue to encourage illegal immigrants to jump from state to state looking for safe havens. Only effective interior enforcement, combined with a secure border, can ensure America is protected from outside threats. As recent events make clear, border policy is not a partisan, political issue. Nor is it primarily an economic issue. It is a national security issue, and President Obama should view it as such.
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