Trump and the border: Letters to the editor, Feb. 5, 2019

Report on border visit incomplete

The Bee left out much about Trump’s visit to McAllen, Texas.

He saw contraband taken from legal ports of entry, not illegals. Mayor Jim Darling said that showed the system is working.

McAllen, pop. 143,000, has a fraction of the overall crime of Fresno with no murders last year. It is in the Texas Border Coalition — judges, mayors, and border communities that focus on the quality of life for 2.5 million Texas residents. They all agree a wall is a wasted investment for an invented crisis.

Texas crime is down overall, according to official state sources. The CATO Institute says recent years show the conviction rate for illegals is 16 percent less than native-born Texans, and for legal immigrants it is 67 percent less. The DEA says the vast majority of drugs come through legal ports of entry. The State Department says the vast majority of people apprehended by the DHS come through airports.

The DEA, State Department, CATO Institute and the Texas Border Coalition show that a wall will waste money because it won’t solve our problems.

The Bee should have shown a broader picture.

GOP had a chance to fund the wall

Jerry Neff, I’m sorry you are so profoundly saddened that Nancy & Chuck, as you address them, don’t put the people first and care so little for the safety of the people. My question is, what do you think happened in the first two years of Donald’s reign when the Republicans were in complete control and refused to give him his “Wall”?

Instead of automatically blaming the Democrats as Donald has instructed you to do, you might look at the entire picture and see that no one but Donald wants the “Wall.” Accept the facts and stop blaming everyone else for his poor judgement on how to spend taxpayers money. We’re almost a trillion in debt since he took office. He should keep his promise and make Mexico pay for the “Wall” or just shut up about it.

Americans and low-wage jobs

Following the economic meltdown, President Obama took the unemployment rate from a high of 10.2 percent down to 4.8 percent. President Trump has further reduced it by .9 points. Great. But let’s remember that during the presidential campaign, Trump claimed the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculations should be 37 points higher at 42 percent when counting the hidden unemployed. He also said, if president, he would make sure the real numbers were reflected by the bureau. He broke that promise: 3.9 percent is a better brag after all. Still, he must believe it’s really 41 percent.

With unemployment at 41 percent, his immigration policy now makes sense. Cheap illegal labor is taking jobs from desperate Americans. Now consider his statements a year ago that legal immigrants from countries like Africa and Haiti should be barred in favor of skilled and educated immigrants like Norwegians. Assuming as he says, race isn’t the factor, he wants people coming here able to take great jobs immediately. With no legal or illegal immigrants looking for unskilled work, who takes those low-wage jobs? That 41 percent of desperate Americans.

Or maybe I’m trying to make sense out of nonsense and lies.

Power misplaced in the shutdown

No one person should have the power to dictate a government shutdown and affect so many lives. Period.