Trump’s effort to secure the border is making America safe again

President Trump recently called for action to secure the southern border. This is the same action taken by both President Obama and President George W. Bush.

Yet, immediate opposition for this commonsense proposal has arisen from the left. Why?

{mosads}President Trump did not say this would be permanent. He did say because Democrats have obstructed his primary campaign pledge to build a wall — by only providing $1.6 billion of wall funding instead of $25 billion — he is now taking appropriate actions to keep America safe.

We have simply reached a breaking point with a vocal minority in this country failing to understand the critical connection between border security and our national security. Without the president’s decisive action, we will continue to see human and drug trafficking unabated, making our communities less safe.

The president’s action to temporarily deploy the National Guard to the border, assisting states in the fight against illegal immigration, is a smart strategy. While congressional Democrats thought they scored a political win by approving a much smaller appropriation for wall funding in the omnibus bill, Trump has now outplayed them — again. His decision puts more pressure on Democrats to finally stop obfuscating and do the right thing — and work with him in bipartisan fashion — to approve additional funding so meaningful work can begin to secure our southern border.

In addition to stopping human smugglers, the movement of drugs, and gang members into our country, we are finally getting a grip on border security and reaffirming the rule of law for the majority of Americans who voted for Trump. Unfortunately, the vocal minority that opposes Trump at every turn — simply because he defeated their preferred candidate — have gone even further in the other direction, by creating sanctuary states and cities, threatening those who seek to follow federal law and cooperate with federal officials.

Today, we simply have too many loopholes that are being exploited by those seeking to take advantage of our border, by promoting their own economic interests, instead of balancing the needs of those immigrants seeking to enter with the citizens who are already here. This is exactly why Trump has called for a merit-based immigration system, which is the opposite of the open borders agenda espoused by those opposing him. Trump wants an orderly immigration process, where people are thoroughly vetted before entering; Democrats want chaos at the border.

That is finally coming to an end, as Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen embark on a new initiative to protect our southern border. Trump is ending the policy of catch and release and has put the ball in the Democrats’ court. “Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military,” he said.

Nielsen herself captured the sentiment of millions of Americans who voted for Trump when she said that “our current border security and immigration laws fail the American people. The system rewards bad behavior. It does not punish lawbreakers. It undermines our nation’s economic interests.”

By deploying National Guard members to the border, who by law can only serve in a support role, we build the capacity of our brave border patrol to counter the many threats along our border and the massive spike in attempted border crossings. As Trump’s economic and trade policies create thousands of jobs that need to be filled by Americans first, we can only expect that increased border crossings will continue in the months and years ahead. Which means that Democrats need to get on board and work with Trump to provide the necessary funding for effective border security.

It’s too bad not all lawmakers are on board. California is now boasting that more than one million people here in the country illegally have received driver’s licenses. Privileges usually reserved for citizens, such as in-state tuition or government political appointments, are being offered to illegal aliens. These decisions blur the traditional lines established by our nation’s federal immigration laws, which clearly distinguish the rights, privileges, and obligations that exist for U.S. citizens and those for non-citizens.

President Trump is taking concrete steps to move our border security in the right direction. He should be commended for his actions.

Dino Teppara is an attorney, reserve naval officer, and naturalized U.S. citizen who served as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and in former S.C. Governor Nikki R. Haley’s administration. The views expressed are his own.