(PHOTO courtesy of Quora.com)
Immigration is a frequent topic on my show - specifically, illegal immigration. When suggesting solutions to it, frustrated listeners suggest everything from sending illegal crossers back immediately without a hearing to completely CLOSING the southern border.
But is it possible to completely close a border? We're about to find out.
A judge in Brazil has ordered the border crossing from Venezuela closed to Venezuelan immigrants who are fleeing their country’s economic and political turmoil.
However, the border remained open yesterday pending an appeal by the federal government as hundreds of Venezuelans continued to walk across into Brazil.
Over the last three years, tens of thousands of Venezuelans have arrived in Roraima, overwhelming social services and causing a humanitarian crisis.
The government says Venezuelans seeking medical and other social services in Roraima would have to present a valid passport, the judge says it's “discriminatory," is it?
I often say on the show that the debate over illegal immigration isn't about animus toward immigrants. Americans know that immigration policy is dictated by concerns over safety, protecting the social safety net, and protecting wage levels.
As Brazil proves, migration CAN overwhelming social services. This situation proves that the immigration debate in the US is often driven by politics and emotion, not fact.