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One_liners
_SBCC steering committee members Astrid Dominguez and Johana Bencomo (and ally Kevin Bixby) explain the harmful effects of Trump’s wall and how this should not be traded for a Dream Act.
_Check out this video that illustrates how some nomadic species, like jaguars, could disappear from the U.S. if a wall is built on the border with Mexico.
_ICYMI: The FBI found no evidence of a "scuffle, altercation or attack" in the death of Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez two months after Trump suggested it was an attack and thus a good reason to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
_Even though there are fewer apprehensions by U.S. Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico border, the number of people dying along the border is going up.
_This interactive map, by the New York Times, shows current physical structures and agents that exist on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Must_reads
_Coming up, a Dreamer Royal Rumble. Next week we might see the Dream Act and border communities shoved into the center of a real gladiator congressional arena. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will be introducing a shell bill and then open it up to an amendment process that “will be fair to both sides” as part of a strategy to get a DACA legislative fix through. Several amendments and “amendments in the nature of a substitute” are being written on both sides of the aisle and these may be alternatively introduced as part of a floor debate akin to a Royal Rumble. The final outcome is completely unpredictable and there will likely be many trick plays, but what is known is that each amendment will need more than 60 votes to pass. Procedural mechanics are still unclear and it’s anybody’s guess what will happen on the House side. Tune in.
_A Hail Mary. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced a companion bill to the Unifying and Securing America (USA) Act introduced by House Representatives Will Hurd (R-TX) and Pete Aguilar (D-CA). The proposals would offer immigrant youth a pathway to citizenship along with a data-driven evaluation and cost analysis_per linear mile_of the resources that might be truly needed for border enforcement. In short, it requires the development of a sensible strategy before billions of dollars are spent. Let’s not fumble this.
_To be clear. We do not believe any more border enforcement is needed (what we need is more oversight). But when compared to the other over-the-top on border enforcement bills out there, the USA Act lays out a process for assessing what, if any, additional enforcement is appropriate and does so in consultation with border communities and other stakeholders. Plus, the USA Act rightly removes Trump’s vanity project, the border wall, because the wall would prove damaging to the environment and several endangered species, would rip away land from private U.S. landowners, and would cause life-threatening flooding. See our statement here.
_Forcing a no-win Sophie’s Choice. While the DC canon claims any immigration relief has to be tied to border enforcement, doing so with the Dream Act misses the point that one in five DACA recipients live in the border region, forcing them to choose between their safety and the safety of their parents and loved ones. This USA Today article illustrates the heartbreaks forced on people turned bargaining chips.
__Pima County needs to hold defensive formation. In a courageous act of resistance the Pima County Board of Supervisors in Arizona refused to accept more than $1 million from the feds for a border law enforcement program that could force Sheriff’s deputies to enforce federal immigration laws; unfortunately, one supervisor is changing his mind.
_Give us an autograph. Please sign and share widely our petition against Trump’s harmful border wall.
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border_lines is published every Friday for your reading pleasure. If you’d like to submit an item for inclusion, please email Vicki B. Gaubeca at [email protected], by Wednesday COB.