Lots of blame for “Dreamer” crisis

There’s plenty of blame to go around on the Dreamer crisis. For many years both parties have ignored immigration problems. This is not new.

Farmers, ranchers and many others have welcomed the cheap labor of illegal immigrants. Try driving New Mexico Route 9 just north of the Mexican border. See the signs with estimates of daily crossings. See apprehended illegals awaiting transportation back. Notice miles of desolate landscape with no border patrol in sight.

In Southern Arizona see the tethered balloon with cameras attempting to do the job. Have your car stopped and the trunk opened. Attend a Congressman’s Town Hall meeting in Sierra Vista--uniformed police were needed to keep order when irate citizens protested the lack of border enforcement.

Elected officials have long winked at the situation or kicked the can down the road. Little or nothing constructive has been done. No workable guest worker program. No modernization of outmoded immigration law. Border personnel greatly underfunded.

So now we have the “Dreamer” crisis of innocent descendants of illegal aliens. My heart goes out to them. I don’t claim to know the answer. But what I do know is that the blame for the situation crosses all political boundaries and goes back many years. And the current political grandstanding and finger-pointing doesn’t get us any closer to a solution.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 3:31 PM with the headline "Lots of blame for “Dreamer” crisis."