What Pundits Get Wrong About The Border Security Fight

In response to growing problems on the southern U.S. border, President Donald Trump attempted to get Congress to authorize broad border security provisions including a secure barrier, more personnel, more beds for detainees, technology for drug interdiction, and $800 million in aid for asylum seekers, among other things.

Congress did not want to authorize these things, leading to a partial government shutdown lasting 35 days. On Friday, the two branches agreed to a temporary re-opening of the government for three weeks to work out a deal.

Pundits, the media, and other Trump critics were elated that he was unable to secure the border provisions he sought during the shutdown, and presented the temporary re-opening as a huge victory for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif). Trump supporters viewed the failure to get the deal as a huge loss and tremendous disappointment. Neither set of people are wrong, but here are a few other things to keep in mind as the discussion continues.

The Shutdown Reprieve Is Temporary

It is absolutely true that the shutdown ended without Trump being able to deliver increased border security. The failure to end the shutdown with increased border security is a victory for Pelosi, who said she’d refuse to even think about the topic until the government was re-opened. She won that standoff.

It is also true that the government is only re-opening for three weeks. This is not necessarily a permanent failure to secure the border. All will depend on what the White House, Pelosi, and Senate Republicans do in the interim. But here there is also reason for concern from those who support borders, rule of law, and national sovereignty.

The White House had lost the high ground in the battle when it started throwing the kitchen sink at Democrats in a bid to get a deal, offering up valuable reprieves on amnesty for younger aliens and Central American programs in exchange for a deal they didn’t get. It will be interesting if they will handle the three weeks of negotiation better. Anonymously sourced reports indicate serious opposition within the White House to Jared Kushner’s handling of the negotiations.

Read the rest from Mollie Hemingway HERE at The Federalist.

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