Lately we’ve been treated to some wild ironies.
On Meet the Press Vice President Kamala Harris declaims that there is no security problem at our southern border. A couple of days later Illinois Gov JB Pritzker declares a state of emergency and calls out the National Guard to manage illegal immigrants. You need to torture language and logic not to consider that a security problem.
Signs prominently displayed on Martha’s Vineyard proclaiming their support for immigrants. Illegal immigrants on Martha’s Vineyard removed from the island to a military base “for supportâ€.
Mayors of cities that have declared themselves “sanctuary cities†complaining bitterly when they actually receive illegal immigrants.
Since taking office the Biden Administration has transported 500,000 illegal immigrants into the interior of the United States. The Biden Administration sharply criticizes the governors of Arizona, Texas, and Florida for transporting illegal immigrants.
What do you think of the tactic the governors of Arizona, Texas, and now Florida have used—chartering planes and busses to transport illegal immigrants from their states to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Martha’s Vineyard?
I have sharply mixed feelings. It has been called “politically motivated†and “cruel†and I think it is probably both. I think it is an Alinskyite strategy to goad the Biden Administtration into doing what’s necessary to stem the surge of illegal immigration across our southern border.
I think there’s a lot of cruelty to go around. I think it’s cruel of the governors to transport the migrants. I think it’s cruel to expect the people of Arizona, Florida, and Texas to pay for all the migrants. I think it was cruel of Candidate Biden to invite immigrants to come to the United States.
I doubt that legal methods to get those governors to stop will be effective.
“Since taking office the Biden Administration has transported 500,000 illegal immigrants into the interior of the United States. The Biden Administration sharply criticizes the governors of Arizona, Texas, and Florida for transporting illegal immigrants.”
If ten relatives call 3 months ahead to say they need to stay with you then you can plan. If they just show up it is chaos. You would figure it out eventually, but it would be disruptive. When the administration buses people the receiving locales know they are coming and can plan. (I am not sure about your concern with MV putting people on the military base. Its actually a pretty small place with a base population of about 15,000. All of the hotels are likely full right now. Likely the only readily and quickly available place. With some warning could they have made other arrangements?)
This is basically a campaign stunt paid for with taxpayer money.
Steve
Yes, we have a system for legal immigration. The individuals in question aren’t satisfied with its requirements and decided to go right ahead and enter the country illegally anyway.
The day that 50 unexpected migrants landed in Martha’s Vineyard, another southern location saw thousands of migrants unexpectedly crossing the border. Millions have done this over the last 18 months (many getting away without being counted), creating chaos and unease among the residents whose properties have been trespassed upon and sometimes trashed. The media, die heart Dems, though, have plugged their ears, in order not to hear pleas for help from the border patrol and border residents. They have also shielded their eyes from seeing the hoards of humanity continuously streaming, mostly unvetted, across the country. As for the legacy news, it’s not interested in reporting anything casting shade on the Biden Administration’s reputation. Speaking of Biden, he is only interested in Ukraine’s border, not visiting the southern border in this country once. Instead, he left this up to his inept VP, who did one brief windshield appraisal of it for purposes of an obligatory photo op.
Regarding sending small numbers of migrants to selected dem strongholds as an “Alinskyite strategy,†it just duplicates the methods long employed by students of Alinsky – Obama and Hillary Clinton – of picking a target, freezing it, personalizing it, and then polarizing it. Immigration, abortion, gender and racism are some of the Dems pet targets. What some cheeky republican governors are simply doing is mirroring their rival’s actions, which uncomfortably is revealing the covert hypocrisy of the Dems oftentimes sanctimonious finger pointing.
https://thefederalist.com/2022/09/16/i-have-a-few-questions-about-the-marthas-vineyard-migrant-kerfuffle/
Then again, why has a story about 50 migrants spending a couple of days on Martha’s Vineyard garnered far more coverage and outrage from the media and left punditry than 51 migrants being cooked alive in a tractor-trailer only last month?
Why is it barely news that officials dumped 1,000 migrants into the streets of El Paso to fend for themselves the very same day those 50 people arrived in beautiful Martha’s Vineyard? Is it humane that some Texas cities see 200,000 newcomers every month or that places like Del Rio, Texas, with a population of nearly 35,000, are forced to house nearly 50,000 newcomers in “squalid conditions†when pristine sanctuary cities are asked to do nothing?
Indeed! Such good comparisons and contrasts, Steve, to contemplate.
it is a nice example of petard hoisting and the power of rapid media reaction. Whether it will lead to change, 8ball says unsure.
“Yes, we have a system for legal immigration. ”
We also have a massive system set up in the areas where illegals are crossing. The states are expecting to see more people so its not a surprise. The San Antonio center from whence De Santis sent those people is set up to handle 600 people a day AND it is funded by FEMA. Could it be better? Sure, but that is mostly on Congress as funding is controlled by them and you wont see any useful bills coming out of there as they will be filibustered.
Really! Would it have been such an imposition to warn the areas receiving them that they were going to be arriving?
BTW, should the money for this come out fo the DeSantis campaign fund? How do the citizens of Florida benefit from illegals (or asylum seekers) in Texas going somewhere?
Steve
Steve, I can’t believe you are arguing about a town, full of rich people, not being properly informed of 50 migrants spilling over into their protected space, while apparently not caring a bean about the tens of thousands illegals crossing all over this country, creating chaos, expense and disarray almost everywhere they are involuntarily planted. Do you ever read your stuff or reflect on how disingenuous you sound?
This tempest in a teacup could have been solved if the Governors put in a generic statement — “the undocumented migrants are voluntarily moving because they disagreed with the social policies of this state”.
You don’t have to mention which social policies the migrants disagreed with.
I mean governors on both sides of this issue has been on the other side trying to lure disaffected people based on other social issues.
“Steve, I can’t believe you are arguing about a town, full of rich people, not being properly informed of 50 migrants spilling over into their protected space….”
You mean “Standard Issue Dem Talking Point” Steve?
According to interviews with the asylum seekers the town scrambled and made it work pretty quickly. The current admin has bussed about 500,000 people around the country. People knew they were coming and were able to plan accordingly. No chaos.
Note that I have never objected to having these people sent to places like Martha’s Vineyard. That is perfectly ok with me. What I am suggesting is that they should be notified ahead of time so they can prepare. It takes time to bus people there or find an airplane. It takes time to find and sign up, or lie, to the people being sent. The only reason to not notify them is political grandstanding hoping it won’t go well so you can own the libs. It’s not good governance or management. I am not in the least surprised to see conservatives happy about this. You guys were happy about deliberatelyas a matter of policy and purposefully, splitting up families. Then you made no effort to keep track of where children were sent making it hard to re unite them.
Steve
The only reason to not notify them is political grandstanding hoping it won’t go well so you can own the libs.
Biden’s first EOs were to cancel the Keystone Pipeline (putting an end to our newly-found energy independence) and dismantling border deterrents (stopping wall construction, welcoming unfettered illegal crossings etc.). Both of these measures have done nothing but become stressors for this country. The negative repercussions from Biden’s actions, though, have been softened by a compliant, complicit media who has literally been AWOL from filming or reporting on the massive invasion and abuses going on daily at our open border.
While you protest, Steve, about one town not getting a proper head’s up regarding incoming migrants, such a happenstance has been going on for a long time in other lessor known parts of the country. Nighttime flights and bus loads of migrants, the overflow scooped up at the border, have been deposited all over the place creating the slogan, “Every town has become a border town.†Like you, though, there has been almost zero negative feedback from people that matter, creating a false sense of public “acceptance,†when it was exactly the opposite…until the Florida Express took a surprising load of people to snobbish Martha’s Vineyard.
That kind of posturing is so common as to be embarrassing.
We have upscale neighborhoods every home with a BLM yard sign, if an actual Negro approached their door they’d piss their pants.
Popular for churches in the suburbs to have signs welcoming immigrants where immigrants will never see them.
We can do better than Biden, Harris isn’t the one, or Trump either.
Congress is asleep at the switch and it seems to be systemic.
How can we get congress to be more effective?
I’m for getting them out of Washington and voting remotely from their home districts.
“Biden’s first EOs were to cancel the Keystone Pipeline (putting an end to our newly-found energy independence)”
What does that have to do with immigration? Besides which the Pipeline was not built or functioning. It would have taken years. It did not change our energy independence as we have produced more energy than we consume since 2019.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/
Why do you think it is a good idea to send people without notification? AFAICT when the admin has bussed people the receiving areas had notification.
The Episcopal Church in MV rallied to take in the asylum seekers though they had no warning. We also go to an Episcopal church. Discussion this morning we decided that our churches should be ready if a stunt like this sends people to our area. We currently have a few Ulkrainians but have had Hispanic asylum seekers in the past. However, we have always had warning and been able to prepare. Several of those families have stayed with us but most have moved. One of those families was with us this morning but didnt get a chance to talk with them since it was our turn to cook and clean up.
Steve
Gary Shambler: Popular for churches in the suburbs to have signs welcoming immigrants where immigrants will never see them.
Martha’s Vineyard has a well-established immigrant population, mostly Brazilian, of about 3,000 in a permanent population of about 15,000.
I’m sure most of the border towns, El
Paso, or the smaller working class towns in the rust belt, would have appreciated a warning about migrants being dropped off in the middle of the night, to be put in the care of whatever social services a community may have. I would not compare, though, the weight a town must take on, hundreds to thousands, to what a church benevolently takes on in helping out a few token families.
Tell the whole story, Zach. Someone has to clean the houses, wash the dishes, work at the day spas and trim the hedges. And then all pack into bunk houses because they can’t afford to live there…….
Drew: Someone has to clean the houses, wash the dishes, work at the day spas and trim the hedges.
Sure. But the claim was that immigrants are never seen in Martha’s Vineyard when they are part of the cultural fabric there. Indeed, Brazilians are also entrepreneurs, including running popular Brazilians themed restaurants and stores.