OPINION:
Under the Constitution, we are sworn to the common defense. By this foundational dictum, the borders of one state should be as secure as those of any other. The borders at the edge of our country should be no less porous than the border between Kansas and Nebraska. Instead, however, states such as Texas are being invaded by hordes of people from all over the world.
The president should declare a state of emergency and deploy 10,000 troops to be in plain sight at the border. In some places they might even need to stand shoulder to shoulder. This would relieve our National Guard members from duty, so they could return home to their families and communities.
We also need to enforce our policies and procedures to ensure that no more criminals or smugglers enter the U.S. Anyone caught attempting to sneak in should be fingerprinted, photographed and deported without delay. We may need to close the border temporarily. When we reopen it, we should have strict requirements for entry that include health and fitness-to-work standards.
Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers should resume border-wall construction. A secure wall with surveillance drones would be far more cost-effective than our present method of endless patrolling.
In 1916 we sent 10,000 troops into Mexico the punish Pancho Villa for killing 22 Americans in Columbus, New Mexico. In comparison, in the past three years we have suffered the tragic loss of a staggering number of Americans, victims of the horrific drugs brought over our borders by criminal cartels.
The president and vice president are both derelict in their duty to defend this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We can ask the people at our southern border if they are happy with the way their pleas for help are being answered, but we wouldn’t want to ask that question to the people of Texas.
JOHN MURDOCH
Montrose, Colorado
JIM FRENCH
Dakota, Illinois
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