No, it's not an April Fools joke.
There are people in this country – people in positions of power and control – who are blind to the situation at our border with Mexico and the people who enter the U.S. without documentation
That's a fancy way of saying they cross the border illegally, particularly the border with Mexico.
The people who do that are, by legal definition, illegal aliens – even though the politically correct admonish us not to use the terms "illegal" or "alien."
So what do they say?
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Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told a Harvard University audience that those people are not "illegal aliens" but are, in effect citizens.
As reported in the Washington Examiner, he says they have essentially "become Americans" because they go to school, have driver's licenses and in California, at least, can practice law.
I admit, that's a novel way of attaining citizenship, but it's one the Obama administration supports and encourages.
Not making it any easier is the trend of states granting drivers' licenses to illegal aliens. The movement isn't helped by illegals using the threat of lawsuits to get what they want.
In Oregon, a ballot measure to grant licenses to illegals was voted down and now groups of illegal aliens want to sue, claiming their constitutional rights were violated.
It also doesn't help when the Catholic Church gets in the middle of all this.
In Rhode Island, the bishop of Providence, Thomas Tobin, jumped into the controversy. He issued a statement that he supports a proposed measure to issue special licenses to illegals. He says it would improve road safety.
Poor Catholics – hearing their clergy support people who have broken the law by giving them special privileges. Isn't breaking the law a sin?
Consider too, that Pope Frances made public relations hay by celebrating Mass on the Mexican side of the border – in essence, saying the border doesn't matter and America is the "bad guy" in this scenario because we have border laws that most Americans want enforced.
What about those pesky words, "illegal alien" or "illegal immigrant"?
The Library of Congress says just stop using them.
From now on, according to CNN, the Library of Congress will use the words non-citizens and unauthorized immigrants.
Apparently this cave-in to political correctness was due to pressure from a group on the Dartmouth College campus – students, faculty and librarians – calling themselves CoFIRED. They consider it a victory and plan to take the pressure nationwide.
According to their press release, "[R]eferring to immigrants as 'illegal' is an offensive, dehumanizing term and there's no excuse to continue using it."
Awwwwwwwww.
So we have the delusional Jeh Johnson and Barack Obama and his administration using their political positions to encourage the acceptance of illegal actions by foreigners in this country.
Who else?
How about Hillary Clinton? This woman who aspires to the presidency had a jaw-dropping assessment of the Mexican border situation while a guest on KTAR radio in Phoenix.
She said "net illegal immigration" is now at zero and that the border "is now secure."
Hillary Clinton has joined those who are delusional about the border, the illegals and the problems they cause for American citizens.
She ought to try that line on Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
He said at a hearing, with Jeh Johnson, that we're "possibly beyond crisis proportions and that 2016 totals of illegal unaccompanied minors will be higher than the 2014 record." He noted that most of the illegals are from Central America.
A recent report by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates there are 15.7 million illegal aliens living in this country – despite the fact that the administration keeps saying it's 11 million.
Considering that hundreds of thousands cross illegally every year, one wonders why that 11 million figure never changes. Of course, it's much higher than the 15 million estimate.
The people who know what's happening on the border are those who live there and law enforcement – police, sheriffs and the Border Patrol.
Border residents are victims of vandalism and crime perpetuated by illegals crossing their property and going through their towns. Law enforcement is hard pressed to deal with it.
Paul Babeu, sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, is outspoken about the situation. He says illegal alien traffic this year is up 25 percent, and there's an increase of 102 percent in unaccompanied minors.
Bottom line for him and for most in law enforcement is that Obama has politicized the whole system.
Babeu accused Washington of manipulating data and not posting agents in areas of intense smuggling. He says the catch-and-release program only perpetuates crime.
Mark Dannels, sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, says agents are told to release illegals and not order them to appear at deportation hearings.
It's a free pass.
The president of the National Border Patrol Council, Brandon Judd, says Washington misleads Americans about border security. The way it is now, he says, "We might as well abolish our immigration laws altogether."
Perhaps overshadowing all the border problems is the threat of terrorism. Given the reduction in the number of border agents on the job, and the ongoing cuts made by Washington, there's a real possibility of terrorist infiltration of our country.
Barack Obama doesn't seem to care, and Hillary Clinton ignores it.
Why should anyone wonder about the appeal of Donald Trump when he says illegal immigration is a major issue demanding attention?
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