Contrary to what was suggested in comments not long ago what most Americans believe about immigration doesn’t matter. That is clear from both the findings of Gallup and Pew Research is that there is actually a consensus in the United States on immigration. It approximates what I’ve enunciated here. In general immigration is good for the United States. Legal immigration might even be increased but the situation at our southern border needs to be brought under control.
That the situation at our southern border is in fact out of control is pretty obvious. Since President Biden assumed office around a million “gotaways” have entered the United States, more than a half million in 2022 alone. “Gotaway” is the terminology the Border Patrol uses for individuals observed crossing the border who were not apprehended.
Why do the positions held by our political parties not reflect those priorities? My interpretation is that both parties are under the control of the most extreme quarter of their membership.
In the Democratic Party that’s the progressives. Nancy Pelosi was a founding member of the House Progressive Caucus. Hakeem Jeffries was a member in good standing of the caucus. Each left the caucus when they assumed a leadership role. Among the Republicans it’s the Trump supporters.
If you have an alternative explanation for why neither the Congress nor the White House follows policies consistent with the views of most Americans on immigration, I would be interested in seeing it.
The one area of immigration that majorities of both parties consistently support is the DACA issue. Dems have tried to pass this but GOP consistently opposes, even when its own members have supported it.
Nominally, both parties support more border security but the means to do so is so far apart that agreement is kind of meaningless.
Steve
I suppose one possibility is that high level players on both sides of the political aisle have been bought off by the cartels, who wish things to be as they are.
Any takers?
A need for a constant flow of cheap, disposable labor (notice how the Fight for 15 dissipated) is my guess. The high probability that our leadership lives in another realm of reality is another.
@Dave:
Damn good question.
@Piercello:
Or, leadership has faced credible threats. Anyone remember Nancy Pelosi’s bloody pig’s head?
These people don’t play.
@Steve:
Everything that happens is not a result or reflection of the political chasm.
@Dave:
Very, very good question.
Worth a good deal of thought.
Americans love the underdog and politicians instinctively play to that, as long as immigrants are viewed this way it’s tough for pols to take a tough stance.
But they are criminals if here illegally.
Interesting to me, is if the Democrats could take the immigration issue away from Trump and show leadership they’d knock the legs out from under him but they apparently actually support open borders.