Recently, the president announced that he is sending 800 active-duty National Guard troops to the southern border of the United States in preparation for the over 7,000-person caravan heading north from Central America.
With the controversy surrounding this event, there is an important question to ask: Is President Trump justified in sending this extra manpower to the U.S. border?
The answer is yes.
Since our country first began, we have always been prideful of the fact that we are a nation built upon immigration.
The process of becoming a U.S. citizen currently being extremely difficult, combined with the fact that there is a large amount of animosity towards those running our federal government, has caused those seeking a new life here to do so illegally.
With that in mind, we have to remind ourselves that no matter how helpless or desperate those trying to cross our border look, they are essentially invading our country by doing it in an unlawful way.
As someone that comes from a family that legally gained their citizenship here less than a century ago, I find it almost insulting that those who put the work in to come here the right way are shunned in favor of those doing it in the worst way possible.
The caravan heading towards our border right now has sparked a lot of arguments between the opposing sides of politics, with many that are left-leaning claiming that the enactment of sending troops to meet these “asylum-seeking migrants” is a sign of possible violence to come.
While this could be a fair argument, we have to remember that there are protocols the National Guard must follow before resorting to any kind of violent action.
For example, the National Guard cannot act as law enforcement- they cannot arrest, search, or seize- unless given authorization, which must come from the Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, himself.
If you question the morality of Mattis due to distain for the president, I will remind you that the White House has publicly stated it finds him to be extremely moderate in comparison to President Trump when it comes to these kinds of issues.
The only reason troops are being sent to the border is to provide extra security for Border Patrol Agents who are being stretched thin.
Many have forgotten that as a country we need to be mindful of the safety of our own people before we concern ourselves with anything else.
By no means should we not allow people into our country who need our help, but we must first follow the proper steps of figuring out who exactly we are letting into the United States.
One concern is that the Mexican cartels control the border from the south.
The people that do illegally cross, do so by paying the cartels for their passage here.
While most of the time this does not mean these people are necessarily members of the cartel, there is always the risk of letting the wrong kind of people into the country if we do not first identify who they are.
The way to solve this issue is to strengthen our borders and improve our immigration process.
Some would say sending troops to assist the Border Patrol is a path in the right direction for strengthening the border and encouraging other, legal, avenues for migrating here.
