Illinois Politicians Weigh in on Trump’s Further Militarization of the Southern Border
Two Illinois politicians weighed in on President Donald Trump’s proposal to deploy the National Guard along the southern border between the U.S. and Mexico to combat what he alleges is a growing threat of undocumented persons, drugs, and crime. “We are preparing for the military to secure our border between Mexico and the United States,” Trump said on Tuesday. Representative Bobby Rush slammed the President, saying his attempts to address immigration were “failed” and “create chaos.” He deliberately rolls out incoherent policy ideas that are not derived from research or facts but are intended to appeal to his base,” Rush said in a statement to Politico. “Trump repeatedly said that Mexico would pay for the wall. Then he tried to get American taxpayers to foot the bill directly. Since that did not work, he pushed for the U.S. military to fund his wall and now he is calling for the militarization of the southern border.” Senator Dick Durbin, while calling Trump “unreliable, unpredictable, and unprepared” in negotiating on immigration policy, defended Trump’s position to further militarize the border. “There are times when troops on the border can be important,” said Durbin. “I don’t know the circumstances here, but I suspect what’s going on quite honestly is he’s reacting to another Fox TV News report about caravans of undocumented and illegal people coming to the U.S.” (Sun-Times)