While reading NM news the other day, I came across this: “February marks fewest arrests at border in recent years“, by Alicia Caldwell. The news illustrates the power of fear as a weapon in the fight against illegal immigration.

•  Arrests of people crossing the border illegally dropped roughly 44 percent during President Donald Tr–‘s first month in office, according to Homeland Security data.
• The Border Patrol arested 23,500 people trying to cross the border illegally in February, compared to about 42,500 arrests in January.
• These are the lowest rates since 2012.
• Smugglers increased prices to get immigrants from Central America across the border since Trump took office. He said the prices have gone from about $3,500 to about $8,000
• John Kelly (Homeland Security) credited Trump’s executive orders on immigration calling for the wall, hiring thousands of immigration agents and cracking down on immigrants living in the country illegally for the steep declines.

I am not anti-immigration but I am against a 2000 mile wall that will cost billions. I do not like using fear to control people. But we can learn something here. Maybe a compromise answer lies in the above facts. Clearly, a “stricter” tone could be helpful as a formal strategy.

I look at my words and I feel like a sellout (my ancestors immigrated from Scotland and Wales). I am fed up with modern “white privilege.” Yet, I also see the need for a more orderly system and will do almost anything to avoid a wall, which will have social and environmental impacts. Tr—‘s saber-rattling suddenly becomes an option.

I do not like making choices between two evils, but that is our future under this administration. Let’s pick the options that won’t cost a fortune to undo. Can you imagine the impact of tearing down a wall along the border? We’ve got to just get through this.

Rattle, rattle.