For those that followed the 2016 election, it was difficult to avoid hearing the words “build the wall” come out of President Donald Trump P’00’s mouth at one of his rallies. And while Mr. Trump has fallen through on many of his campaign promises, the border wall is something that he remains adamant on. However, the president has run into many bumps in the road on his way to building the wall. He has yet to address conflicts over funding, logistics, and most importantly, the lack of support for the wall. Debates over the wall have been relatively uneventful, but recently Mr. Trump took another step closer to securing the nation’s border by deploying the National Guard, an American reserve military force, to defend it. This action will prove to be problematic for many reasons.
The anti-Trump movement often cites Mr. Trump’s disdain towards immigrants, specifically those coming from Mexico, as a reason why he is unfit to lead the country. The United States has long been known for accepting those who have faced hardships in their past lives and helping them build a new one in America, an ideal that has since been contradicted by the election of Mr. Trump.
The two main sides of the immigration debate are that Americans should welcome all immigrants with open arms or Americans should only accept immigrants that are deemed “beneficial” to society. This belief that only certain humans are beneficial to us is morally wrong. Each person brings their own characteristics to the table, even if it is just their humanity, making each of them valuable to us. However, whether or not immigrants should be welcomed into the country, deploying the National Guard to the border between Mexico and the United States will not help the situation.
Even if all Americans did believe that the border should be fortified, this decision still would not be in the best interest of the country. Sending the National Guard to the border would accomplish little to nothing. There have been many attempts to send federal officers to secure our borders and they have all proven to be unnecessary and redundant. Not only are these officers sacrificing their time, but the deployment of the National Guard is also wasting taxpayer money on something that does not protect citizens whatsoever. If Mr. Trump wants to actually secure the border, he and his cabinet must come up with a way to prevent people from coming in while using taxpayers’ money efficiently.
Mr. Trump has ordered Governor Jerry Brown of California to send 400 National Guard troops to the Mexican border. In response, Mr. Brown has stated that while he will be accepting funding for these new troops to be deployed, their mission will not be “to build a new wall,” as said in a letter released by his office on Wednesday, April 11. Brown has acted in the appropriate manner. States should not be expected to support federal orders that have not been approved by their citizens. In addition, California has been known for its liberal stance on immigration. It is not logical for Mr. Trump to expect the people of a state to go against their own beliefs and morals to carry along his xenophobic agenda.
This deployment is actively working against the best interests of the country. It has not been proven to be supported by the American people, it is wasting taxpayers’ money, and it goes against the American ideals of welcoming those who are in need. After all, the statue of liberty, an American symbol of freedom, says “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to be free.”
