Will Obama Come to His Senses About the Border?
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At least one of the Paris bombers was a Syrian war refugee. And Islamic State has promised more attacks in England, the U.S. and other countries that have been taking in refugees from the Middle East.
In light of these two facts, there is only one solution, and that is to immediately suspend entry to all refugees and immigrants from the Middle East into the U.S., Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Rick Manning urged in statement.
“President Obama, and every sane leader in the West, needs to immediately issue a moratorium against all refugees and immigration from the Middle East. Under U.S. law, the President singularly has discretion to allow refugees in, and to refuse entry. Generally, under 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) the president can refuse entry to any class of immigrant for any amount of time he deems appropriate,” Manning said.
How to justify such a broad travel ban? As Manning cited, “The fact is, even if only a tiny percentage of the Syrian war refugees were adherents to radical Islam, every country that lets them in must accept they are also inviting sleeper cells into their country. And since there is no way to scan them at the border, the only solution is to simply say no way. Not until this situation is under control.”
Think that’s too harsh? Sorry.
The president has broad authority to bar entry into the U.S. under federal law, and in a time of war or national emergency, with an unknown number of enemy combatants already here or on their way here, it is perfectly legitimate and reasonable to issue such a proclamation. He could close the entire border if he wanted.
Don’t tell us there is no precedent. As Manning noted, “There are currently 16 such proclamations already in effect. It’s time for number 17.”
The proclamations currently in effect are the Belarus Proclamation 8015, the Bosnia Proclamation 6749, the Combat Trafficking In Persons Proclamation 8342, the Corruption Proclamation 7750, the Cuba Proclamation 5377, the Haiti Proclamation 6685, the High Seas Interdiction Proclamation 4865, the Human Rights Proclamation 8697, the Lebanon Proclamation 8158, the Presidential Proclamation 8693, Travel Bans, the Serbia and Montenegro Proclamation 7249, the Sierra Leone Proclamation 7062, the Sierra Leone Proclamation 7359, the Sudan Proclamation 6958, the Western Balkans Proclamation 7452, and the Zimbabwe Proclamation 7524.
At least one of those proclamations dates back to 1981. And Obama is not unfamiliar with the practice, either. He has issued two.
In light of the most recent massacres in Paris and the University of Kenya, there simply is no alternative. No other more effective, more immediate action that can be taken by the President to protect the homeland. Anything else—that is, besides dealing with the problem over there—is dithering and posturing.
The fact is, after 9/11, we tried it the nice way. The U.S. did not close its borders, and all the while we attempted to prop up moderate regimes in the region, and arm those Muslim allies there who would dare fight the terrorists, and who bled the same blood on the battlefields of Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere as did U.S. servicemen and women.
It was a sad day indeed the U.S. left those allies to die on those battlefields at the hands of the enemy, undermining the sacrifices that were made by tens of thousands of brave men and women. This was not their fault, and still they have born the consequences of standing to be counted with the forces of civilization and then subsequently being abandoned.
Now their heads are on spikes, and the enemy is coming for the rest of us.
Power abhors a vacuum, and by ceding Iraq and Afghanistan to the enemy, the U.S. administration bears its share of responsibility for creating the situation in which Islamic State has flourished. That is not trutherism. That is the truth.
Sadly, with a little over 13 months left in the Obama administration, it nonetheless falls on the current occupant in the White House that implemented those policies to deal with the current threat—and the fallout from its own folly.
We acknowledge the inertia that develops around administration policies across party lines, and the difficulty involved with doing a complete 180 on policy. But there comes a time when you have to check in with reality. Unfortunately, it is still up to Obama to deal with this.
As economist John Maynard Keynes is credited with having once said, “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” Will Obama come to his senses? At least the rest of us have. What Obama does next is up to him.
The war should be fought over there, and a safe zone created for refugees over there. Letting them come here, and frankly, allowing the humanitarian crisis to grow to such proportions is only as a result of not taking care of business—over there.
Where do we draw the line when it comes to political correctness? When it starts getting people killed. As ALG’s Manning concluded, “The insanity at the border must be brought to an end immediately, or the American people will seek new leadership who will bring it to an end. Enough pussy-footing around. It’s time to get real.”
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