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one_liners
_Keep yer eyes peeled for a special edition of border_lines next week that will announce important progress that is a direct outcome of the advocacy of all the organizations that make up the Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC).
_SBCC steering committee member Nia Rucker of the ACLU of New Mexico calls out Border Patrol interior checkpoints — which are more often than not far, far away from the actual border — as a “cruel and pointless burden” for the millions who call the border region home.
_While there is a lot of fact-free fear-mongering happening around the possible rescission of Title 42, check out some facts from the Pew Research Center on Title 42, including information about the statute and demographics on who has been expelled.
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must_reads
_Dogs chasing cars. Yesterday’s House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s hearing on “Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security” was yet another showcase of the polarity in Congress about how to approach policies impacting the border region. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) captured it well when he said that his colleagues across the aisle “have zero interest in border security. They have [a] high, high interest in border theater and politics . . . if you want a dog to bark at cars that drive-by in front of your house, they would be great at that. You should hire them to do that. I would never hire them to solve a problem.” Frankly, after listening to the dog-fight remarks in the hearing, this felt like a Spot on description of the current environment where_ for some_winning a political point appears to be more important than sound policy and the welfare of people.
We’ve also heard re-emergence of the perennial and disparaging description of “bleeding heart liberals,” but, but, based on the interventions made at this hearing by conservatives, the question that begs to be asked is whether or not there is a new need for defining “frothing at the mouth, cold-hearted, rabid conservatives.” Seriously. Instead of demonstrating concern for fellow human beings seeking safety at our borders, we saw blatant displays of fear-mongering, xenophobia and hatred. Come on, Congress. We’re better than this, aren’t we?
It was hard to see_from the perspective of someone who strongly believes in constructive dialogue and treating everyone with dignity_the violent, disrespectful and misinformed attacks against DHS Secretary Mayorkas, for example, when Rep. Ken Buck called him a traitor_and please note this is coming from us who think the department could do better. People are suffering _so we need to be the adults in the room (all of us), working on humane, workable solutions, no? It’s time we move on from the radical divisiveness that prevents us from not only creating a vibrant, powerful joint solution to move forward, but that also sets aside pettiness for the greater good of our nation. Can an old dog learn new tricks?
_Echo Deco. We want to echo and uplift resources released by our colleagues at the Washington Office of Latin America (WOLA), who just made available a new database that brings together more than 200 examples of alleged human rights abuses, along with nearly 300 reports from official government sources, non-governmental organizations, and media outlets since 2020. Abuses at the hands of Border Patrol agents include misuse of lethal force, racial profiling, and even abuses within the workforce. The database contains, for example, multiple documented incidents of agents telling asylum seekers that they are being transported to be processed for asylum and reunited with relatives in the United States, when in fact they were expelling them into Mexico or flown back to Haiti. Totally despicable. WOLA will continuously update the database to reflect the most current information. Check it out.
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border_lines is published every other 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. The Southern Border Communities Coalition is a program of Alliance San Diego.