When/Why did Border Security become about "Illegal Aliens" instead of a "National Security" Issue?

[DCKit]

Is it a matter of playing to the lowest common denominator (racism) to accomplish the same goal? It's more complicated than that, and we're falling for it.

Framing border security as a racial and economic issue may work for those Americans who believe that their economic woes are the fault of illegal aliens and that those same illegals are here to rob them, steal their jobs, rape their women, abuse their kids, sell drugs and murder innocent citizens. The rest us are aware that violent career criminals exist in every society and that the only way to prevent criminal illegal aliens from repeatedly returning to this country is to deny them entry or lock them up - here. Mexico isn't going to do it.

Politicians and their corporate masters are well served playing the race card: The rift it has opened between the racists, the disadvantaged, even those with legitimate issues - construction workers, landscapers, victims of crime, etc... - and the rest of us will allow our government to delay, for years, any meaningful effort to secure our borders while we fight amongst ourselves over a straw man issue. It isn't about legal or illegal immigration, it's a national security issue.

Corruption in Mexico reaches to the highest levels of the government (I know, I know, but I'm talking about Mexico here). Many incidents, including video footage, of the Mexican military escorting and providing cover for illegal drug traffic onto US soil have been documented and investigations into money laundering by the Mexican ruling class have been quashed at the highest levels on both sides of the border. If we are naive enough to believe that any terrorist's cash wouldn't offer the same protections the drug cartels enjoy, we're blundering into another 9/11 which would, in turn, lead to a further erosion of our Constitutional rights under the guise of keeping us safe.

The window dressing of enhanced airport security, the illegal wire/internet/cell spying, data mining and GPS tracking of U.S. citizens are only the beginning if we allow another attack on this country to go unchecked. Total informational awareness is their goal, and is far too close to becoming a reality. The U.S. has quickly devolved into a fascist nanny state and any excuse to further increase control over all citizens is not only welcome, but has been openly discussed among our elected officials. These people who would control us have no use for Democracy and Democracy has no use for them, except as an example: tried, convicted and locked up for treason.

We need to shift the discussion about illegal immigration back to it's proper role as a vital aspect of national security or we're going to lose our country. Permanently. It's time to place less emphasis on the Presidential election and far more on getting intelligent, progressive, non-corporate candidates elected to both houses of Congress in order to restore our Constitution. Only then will the rush toward fascism be checked.

[groovedaddy]

1. Either one represents a failure on the part of the g.o.p.

Claiming they are protecting us while the borders are being crossed by millions illegally.
Then there are the business interests that want the cheap labor and to use that labor to undermine unions, which is why the national g.o.p. turned a blind eye on the security issue involved.