Does any candidate have any suggestions about the heart breaking situation on the border?

[question everything]

No, it is not enough to suggest an "immigration policy." Not enough to talk about the dreamers.

The masses of people at the border - watch "60 Minutes" - is not an "immigration solution." It is a problem in the nations of Central America. The lawlessness, the dying crops, the weak governments.

I think that we, as the wealthy (more or less) neighbor need to get involved, not just sending money but to actively looking at the problem and see what can be done.

Climate change is affect the southern hemisphere globally and we have to come together with solutions.

[elleng]

1. Problem is/was we DID 'get involved.'

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

According to Perkins, his role at Main was to convince leaders of underdeveloped countries to accept substantial development loans for large construction and engineering projects that would primarily help the richest families and local elites, rather than the poor, while making sure that these projects were contracted to U.S. companies. Later these loans would give the U.S. political influence and access to natural resources for U.S. companies.[1] He refers to this as an "economic hit man." Although he states that throughout his career he has always worked for private companies, and suggests a system of corporatocracy and greed, rather than a single conspiracy, he claims the involvement of the National Security Agency (NSA), with whom he had interviewed for a job before joining Main. According to the author, this interview effectively constituted an independent screening which led to his subsequent hiring as an economic hit man by Einar Greve,[2] a vice president of the firm (and alleged NSA liaison).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man

[Honeycombe8]

2. I suppose we could try, but we can't run other countries...

or interfere with other governments (legally, anyway). I'm sure those countries know what they're doing is causing their people to suffer and leave. We can't change what another govt is doing to its own people. Mexico could try, too. But then, Mexicans want to come here, too.

This may be more of an issue to be helped by volunteer organizations.

I don't have an answer. But we can't take in all those people in those disadvantaged countries without crippling our own country.

But caging their children or treating them like animals isn't the way to handle it. I don't have an answer.

[tishaLA]

3. Julian Castro unveiled a comprehensive plan

A few weeks ago that's surprisingly good. Part of it is a call for a Marshall Plan for central America in addition to other things, like ending the foolishness re: DREAMers

[Hortensis]

4. What are you reading? They ALL of course fully intend

to put an end to what the Republicans are doing, identify and assist the refugees arriving at our border, and do their best to unite the families torn apart by Republican atrocities. They're Democrats and the person over 60 million Democrats elect will reflect our principles.

After that it gets very, very, very complicated, of course. Global climate catastrophes are driving mass migrations that are only going to accelerate. All the best answers will involve stabilizing and changing conditions in the regions of origin so people don't have to leave, but that's going to be incredibly expensive and incredibly imperfect, and require cooperation on planetary scale.

Hardly a quagmire anyone will get elected by leaping into during campaigning.

Btw, there is no more or less: we are an extremely wealthy nation, the single wealthiest on the planet. That we are currently allowing 0.01% to control the vast majority of it doesn't change that.

[Indygram]

5. Beto does and since he lives in a border town he owns this debate with facts and knowledge

Last edited Mon Apr 29, 2019, 06:02 AM - Edit history (1)

He wants to double the aid that had been going to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador and specifically spend it on violence reduction measures so that people don't need to flee north in the first place.

He wants to make Dreamers citizens.

He wants to spare no expense to reunite children with their families AND he supports holding those who did break and are breaking our asylum laws to be held accountable and face justice.

He wants to allow those here who are not violent to be able to come out from the shadows and be able to contribute.

While he does not support eliminating ICE (they handle terror and other issues too), he did vow to put a halt to them doing these round ups and similar practices.

He opposes the wall and talks about how any wall would take land from families through eminent domain.

Those are some of the first things that come to mind.

I especially like that he supports making asylum law violators to face prosecution. That NEEDS to happen.

There are more things he has said, but those are the ones that I can recall right off the top of my head.

Editing to add that Beto does connect the asylum seekers to climate change and drought and how important it is to address climate because if we think there is a problem now, just wait until global warming makes those areas unable to sustain life anymore.