The Southern Border
Credit: Congressman Bobby Rush

If one gets their news from right-wing media, they would believe that an invasion is imminent and that criminal-laced hordes are on the verge storming the U.S. southern border.  They come, it is said, to take jobs, obtain free benefits and possibly eat your babies.  For them, their savior, Trump, has the solution, build a wall; a beautiful, albeit expensive wall. Today (11 December 2018) there was a circus-like performance, orchestrated by President Trump, in which again he elicited the fear factor for his base.  He claimed ten terrorists have been caught and focused on drug smugglers crossing the border.  Then he restated his unsupported claim of immigrants spreading contagious diseases. If believing Trump, illegal immigration is tantamount to the zombie apocalypse.  It matters not that almost all of his accusations are either not true or greatly exaggerated, and a wall won’t work to solve those problems.

There are, however, solutions but they will take both money and political will.  They also require a strategic approach versus the pervasive myopic understanding of geopolitical realities. […]