October 5, 2011--Immigration Factoid

Buried in a recent story in the New York Times about how illegal Mexican immigrants who have been deported still make great efforts to get back into the U.S. to visit family and friends are some revealing facts about the Obama administration's attempts to secure the border and deport undocumented people. (Article linked below.)

Whatever one thinks about The Fence and deportation policy, Obama should get more credit than he does for being more effective at keeping people out and sending others home than any of his predecessors. Including tough-talking Repubicans.

Here are the facts--

More fencing has been built during the past two-and-a-half years than during all previous administrations.

More border parol agents and troops are stationed along the border than at any time.

During the Obama years thus far more than 1.1 million immigrants have been sent home. Far more than by any president since Dwight Eisenhower back in the 1950s.

Based on this record, I wonder why Obama is still being lambasted by the GOP for being soft on immigration policy.

One reason, of course, is that he is eager to court Hispanics as political supporters and thus does not want to call too much attention to these facts.

And then of course Republicans do not recognize this or any other of his accomplishments.

You could feel the likes of John McCain chocking on the faint words of praise he managed to utter after Obama gave orders to and then "took out" Osama bin Laden. And so what could one expect from the GOP about something this politically potent.

Nonetheless, the fact are the facts.