We have a crisis at the border, but perhaps not the type you are accustomed to hearing about.
Yes, we have unprecedented numbers of illegals flooding our borders. Yes, we have children being used as human passports so adults can take advantage of our broken system. And yes, we have immigration laws that are outdated and in need of a serious overhaul.
But the crisis I am referring to is a crisis of integrity.
Honesty means very little these days when you want to get your point across. Negativity sells and truth doesn’t, plain and simple. Accurate reporting isn’t sexy and certainly doesn’t emotionally move people. Such is the case when it comes to the reporting of our detention facilities housing migrant children, family units and the border patrol agents taking care of them.
At the invitation of Border Patrol, I — along with my Pastor of Global Outreach, Todd Lamphere, Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Jack Graham and many other national faith leaders — was afforded the opportunity to do site visits where apprehended illegals are housed throughout the United States. We toured UAC facilities in three states and have gone behind the scenes to do deep dive investigating of the conditions at the detention facilities in El Paso and McAllen, Texas, and in Yuma, Arizona. We have personally witnessed what happens behind the closed doors. We have seen how the children are treated. We have experienced how border patrol agents respond to children. The reality is our team have logged more time behind the detention facility walls than 99.9 percent of reporters, Congress and the general public. And our conclusions are drastically different than what is reported in the news or by congressional delegates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
We have a crisis of integrity.
We have taken the words of agenda-driven journalists as gospel and have drank their kool-aid without questioning the legitimacy of their claims. Of course, how can you question them since you have never been to the border or toured a detention facility?
You can’t… but we can.
Let’s look specifically at the recent, outrageous claims coming against the border patrol station in Clint, Texas.
Living conditions at Clint station are overcrowded to say the least. The facility was designed to house a maximum of 106 people to be processed, with an average stay time of 12 hours. With a quick processing turn-around time, beds were never meant to be a part of the facility landscape. However, due to a lack of funding, border patrol cannot hand over unaccompanied children to HHS for the process of reunification to a sponsor stateside. The Clint station has housed over 700 illegal immigrants at its peak and daily is severely over capacity. When HHS doesn’t have the ability to take in any more unaccompanied minors, these precious children have to remain in border patrol custody.
In has been reported that these children are living in poor sanitary conditions. The Clint station is deep-cleaned every day by a commercial cleaning company and beds are disinfected every couple of days. It is reported that children lack food and water, yet they are given three meals and two snack breaks a day. And if they want additional snacks or water, they are free to help themselves. The deplorable conditions reported by opportunistic lawyers just are not there. For the record, the lawyers who ‘broke this story’ didn’t even go into the part where the children were being housed. Overcrowded conditions exist, but our border patrol agents are making the best of a less than ideal situation.
Again, we have a crisis of integrity.
If you were to walk inside the Clint station, here is what you will find:
- Children playing soccer in a makeshift playing area and others playing basketball and soccer outside, when weather permits.
- Children smiling and laughing.
- Staff playing with and caring for children. (I witnessed a female medical staff member braiding a little girl’s hair and another playing “hot potato” with a group of girls.)
- Children watching movies (movies brought in by border patrol agents).
- Cool, comfortable (as comfortable as can be in an overcrowded environment) and relaxed atmosphere where children know they are valued.
- Unlocked doors in the sleeping quarters where children can freely get water and snacks whenever they wish.
So, when you hear that children are not cared for properly, tell that to the border agent who holds a crying child. Or tell that to the border agent who has brought toys from their own home for the children to play with. And tell that to the border agent that puts their health on the line daily to be close to a sick child.
Sorry AOC, but children aren’t forced to drink water out of a toilet. (You are insulting the intelligence of Americans with that absurd accusation) But yes AOC, we do have a crisis at the border. Funding from Congress can finally fix all of it…
…except for the crisis of integrity.
Pastor Paula White, is the personal minister, and spiritual adviser to President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. She is author of the book Dare to Dream: Understand God’s Design for Your Life. She is host of the television show, Paula White Today.