US Immigration Reform Plans to Incorporate Border Security

Proposed by senators on Monday 28th Jan, the new plans for immigration reform were to incorporate border security in a big way. The immigration reform blueprint, which will drive the national debate for weeks to come, answered major questions such as when the US borders will be ‘secure’ enough to begin the pathway for the 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Senators answered that “To fulfil the basic governmental function of securing our borders, we will continue the increased efforts of the Border Patrol by providing them with the latest technology, infrastructure, and personnel needed to prevent, detect, and apprehend every unauthorized entrant.”

However in South Arizona, this is still an issue which causes some anxiety for some border residents, who protest that they have heard such assertions before and that they fear the issue will remain unaddressed.

Present at the democratic meeting on Monday to listen to the government’s plans, Ed Ashurst who ranches on the Arizona border claimed to have witnessed a drive through which was untreated by the border patrol during the three hours he spent there.

This has left Ed Ashurst among other residents of Arizona critical of the current Homeland Security strategy and sceptical of a new immigration reform plan.

In response, Congressman Barber acknowledged that the ranchers are some of the most vulnerable, since there are currently few agents present to help “defend their property and provide safety.” He said that Border Patrol is implementing new resources such as horse patrols in the rural areas to remedy this.

President Obama also tackled the issue of border control as he soliloquised to Latinos in the desert of neighbouring state Nevada on Tuesday, which is home to more than 190,000 undocumented immigrants, a portion of whom are politically active.

One such undocumented immigrant is Maria Espinosa, a 49 year old woman who canvassed neighbourhoods in Nevada to help encourage those in a similar position, to vote for Barack Obama. To those who were powerless to vote, she said “"Maybe you have a friend, a neighbour or family, that they are citizens. And they know how you are working hard for this country. Just tell them: you know vote. Vote, because you can be my voice, you can help me, getting my papers.”

President Obama’s steps towards actively improving Border control, whilst cementing his relationship with the current and newer generation of immigrant voters, will enable the Democratic Party to move forward.