Thomas Patterson

Courtesy photo

Governor Katie Hobbs has had a change of heart over the immigration crisis on Arizona’s southern border. She recently reversed an earlier decision against deploying the National Guard, now sending over 200 Tucson sector troops and committing up to $5 million in Arizona taxpayer money to send troops to the Lukeville Port of Entry.

Hobbs also demanded the federal government reimburse Arizona $512.5 million for “migrant transportation, drug interdiction and law enforcement” expenses incurred under the Biden administration. She also promised to seek reimbursement “regularly” from the feds for Arizona’s border crisis mitigation.

What sparked the flurry of activity from our heretofore passive chief? Finally, the direct expenses to Arizona could no longer be ignored. They’re affecting Arizona’s budget and future financial viability.

For Hobbs and scores of other Democrat mayors and governors, compassionate sympathy with the plight of illegal immigrants was a good image so long as the expense was borne elsewhere. Hundreds of sanctuary cities were formed. Mayors from New York Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities basked in assuring that theirs was an open, caring place.

Like Biden himself, they welcomed illegal immigrants to our shores. Sure, they heard the reports of complaints from border communities suffering from growing hordes of needy illegal immigrants, but those were mostly just red state conservatives anyway.

However, when the influx of visitors became so overwhelming that they had to be exported around the country, perspectives changed. Too late Hobbs and the others realized the growth was out of control and the fiscal demands truly unsustainable. Their pleas for help from the feds were ignored.

It’s a good thing that our governor now acknowledges there is a problem, but she whiffed on her response. In fact, we don’t need more money, we don’t need more troops, we need to have the resolve to enforce the law against unauthorized entries into our country.

Instead, we advertise to the world that America welcomes all migrants and those who make it here will be admitted under the clever scheme of supposedly seeking asylum. They will be provided transportation into the country, food, shelter, medical care, education and social services.

We are then shocked when millions from the third world’s underclass stream in. Hobbs claimed the additional funds were necessary to “manage the influx of migrants” thereby unwittingly admitting the mistake. New money flowing to the border has been used not to stem the flow but to expedite the process of admitting even more invaders.

We desperately need a policy of admitting only those who are legally qualified for admission and turning away the rest. It’s not that complicated nor costly. It would save money and possibly the future of our nation.

The downsides of unlimited entry go far beyond the expenses borne by local governments faced with accommodating the immigrants’ short-term needs. We have had an estimated 15 to 20 million people illegally enter our country this century, 6.6 million processed through in Biden’s three years alone.

These are mostly undereducated, untrained people who are unlikely to attain self-sufficiency anytime soon. Most don’t mean us any harm but others are terrorists, criminals and foreign agents. Immigration errors, unlike some other policy areas, can’t be reversed. Our new residents are not going to leave – ever.

America is facing some daunting challenges. Most of our schools are failing to improve the education of underprivileged children. Public spending and our crushing debt load cast a black cloud over our future. Waves of lawlessness and organized criminal behavior plague us. The influence of Marxist-inspired social theories threatens to drive Americans, once believers in e pluribus unum, into warring identity enclaves.

Simply put, America is not in a position to spend more money or take on more problems, let alone accommodate a tsunami of 20 million illegal immigrants who will exacerbate every one of them.

America is famously a nation defined not by “blood and soil” but by the values on which we were founded – equality of all before the law, representative government, rule of law, limited government and individual rights. Illegal immigration of tens of millions who don’t not know or love America will change forever who we are and what America means to the world.

Lake Okeechobee News invites our readers to submit their reactions, pro or con, to okeenews@iniusa.org.