If Illegals Are Kept 'in Bondage' Like Beto Says, Why Do Thousands Keep Trying To Break In?
If there’s anything I’ve learned from Beto O’Rourke’s campaign so far, it’s that he probably should consider his arguments before they come out of his mouth.
The most prominent example of this came last week when the Democratic presidential hopeful told a crowd in Nevada that Planned Parenthood was in the business of saving lives.
“No one wants to see people die in the wealthiest and most powerful country on the face of the planet for lack of care, so when I connect back that family planning clinics — Planned Parenthood, to be specific, in Texas is saving the lives of our fellow women, and it’s a life-and-death matter in this country,” O’Rourke told the audience on Thursday.
Well, it’s Planned Parenthood one day, illegal immigration the next. (Actually, it was two days later, but who’s counting?) According to the Washington Examiner, Beto was in Las Vegas on Saturday speaking to the Service Employees International Union when he said that illegal aliens are being kept “in modern-day bondage” because they’re not being given citizenship.
Which, hey, the question practically asks itself: If they’re being kept in bondage because of that, then why are they trying to come here?
O’Rourke made the declaration while speaking in front of about 200 activists, members and organizers with labor unions.
We have to say that this went better than his event the previous day at UNLV where the audience was estimated to be roughly 35 individuals.
“[With] Immigration. Millions [are] living in the shadows, working some of the toughest jobs, lucky to make a minimum wage,” O’Rourke said.
“Some not even making that. Kept in modern-day bondage, their immigration status used as leverage to keep them down, from fully participating in this country’s success and in our economy.
“An economy that works too well for too few and not well enough for most Americans,” concluded O’Rourke, a man born into wealth who married into even greater wealth.
O’Rourke has positioned himself as a sort of mirror image of Donald Trump when it comes to illegal immigration. In fact, when Trump went to El Paso, Texas, for his “Finish the Wall” rally in February, O’Rourke held a bit of counter-programming right nearby with a rally of his own — although it was somewhat obvious which one was doing better.
And then there was O’Rourke’s comment that he wouldn’t just not build the wall, he would actually tear down sections of the fence that were already built.
“Absolutely, I’d take the wall down,” O’Rouke told MSNBC back in February. “Here’s what we know: After the Secure Fence Act, we have built 600 miles of wall and fencing on a 2,000-mile border. What that has done is not in any demonstrable way made us safer.”
Beyond that sort of ostentatious opposition to any sort of increased enforcement — even as we’re in the midst of a border crisis — there’s a serious question to be asked here: If this country is turning illegal immigrants into de facto slaves, why are they coming here?
In fact, as Aaron Hull — Border Patrol chief for the El Paso sector — noted during an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo, the reason we’ve seen so many family units from Central America arriving at the border to seek asylum is the fact that they know they’re probably not going to be treated badly.
“Well actually here in our El Paso sector, it’s about 90% of the aliens are from those three [Central American] countries. Those people realize that as long as they’re being apprehended by us, they are still likely to be released on their own recognizance,” Hull said, as reported by Independent Journal Review.
“That’s because the country, the U.S. government as a whole, does not have the detention and removal capability to hold them in custody until their immigration hearing. When they know that they are going to be released even though they’re caught it serves as a huge draw to enter this country illegally.”
He added that “they’re not trying to get away. They know we’re basically … a period of time they’re held in custody, then they’re going to be released and continue on to all parts of the United States.”
Apparently, even custody doesn’t deter them. And, Hull claimed, the number seeking asylum for legitimate reasons isn’t exactly overwhelming.
“A lot of people refer to all of these family units as ‘asylum seekers’ but that’s really not the case,” he said. “Matter of fact most of those that we encounter — when they are caught at this step in the process — they don’t indicate fear of return. They indicate they want better opportunity.”
Now, this isn’t to debate the border crisis or asylum law. Instead, it’s meant to illustrate the fact that these aren’t individuals being kept in bondage, even those who are seeking asylum.
It’s a preposterous claim to make, especially when we have a glut of individuals clamoring to get in to live exactly the what O’Rourke seems to describe as the life of a Dickensian wretch.
In short, Hull managed to absolutely dismantle most of what Beto had to say. This isn’t a situation where these individuals are being kept in bondage.
They’re willingly coming, and they’re willingly coming for economic reasons — the exact opposite of bondage.
This is merely more empty rhetoric from O’Rourke.
The great danger is that, if he’s elected, this could become policy.
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