"BORDER OFFICIAL LEADER: TRUMP’S TARIFF DEAL WITH MEXICO IS JUST THE OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKING WE NEED" - June 11, 2019 | From Fox News; https://www.ifapray.org/blog/border-official-leader-trumps-tariff-deal-with-mexico-is-just-the-out-of-the-box-thinking-we-need/ [AS I SEE IT: This victory by the president will probably not be the final solution to the border crisis. But it does show that we need leaders who have the courage to keep trying to solve problems, even doing things not tried before and in the face of criticism from even supporters. We all need to be praying for an end to this crisis and leaders with the courage to persevere. - Stan]
"Lord, we thank you for creative thinking that can produce solutions. We pray that this deal with Mexico will provide the incentive to reduce illegal immigration into our nation."
This win by our president shows he understands that politely asking other countries to change their behavior when it harms us isn’t always enough. Sometimes, our government needs to put pressure on other nations – and as President Trump showed once again, pressure works. Facing the largest border security crisis in the history of the United States, and knowing the Mexican economy is completely reliant on U.S. trade, Trump pulled out all the stops. He threatened Mexico with economically crippling tariffs if our southern neighbor didn’t step up and agree to become a true partner in border security.
Critics on the right and left blasted Trump, saying he was behaving recklessly and irresponsibly to threaten to impose 5 percent tariffs on everything Mexico imports into the U.S. if that nation didn’t move to fight illegal immigration. Trump even threatened to escalate those tariffs by 5 percent a month if Mexico failed to act, so that the tariffs would hit 25 percent in October.
But, as we’ve often seen, President Trump’s critics were wrong again. Trump’s tariff threat got the immediate attention of Mexico’s leaders, who realized Trump was serious and they had better act – fast. They signed an agreement pledging a series of actions to reduce illegal immigration.
As the current president of the National Border Patrol Council – the exclusive labor representative of approximately 16,000 Border Patrol agents – I know President Trump is absolutely right when he says we are facing an illegal immigration crisis on our southern border. This is why the National Border Patrol Council fully supports the president in his effort to protect our nation from illegal immigrants and illegal drug smuggling.
The facts support the president. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said this week that it apprehended 144,278 people trying to enter our country in May – nearly three times the number who tried to enter in May 2018. Democratic claims that this isn’t a crisis would be laughable if the issue wasn’t so serious. . . .
Tariffs were not President Trump’s first choice for convincing Mexico to get serious about stopping illegal immigration. They were not even his second choice. President Trump has been asking Mexico for voluntary cooperation for over a year.
But instead of providing the needed cooperation, Mexico continued taking advantage of the United States’ weak immigration policies that prevailed under the Obama administration. So President Trump substituted strength for weakness, sending a warning that Mexican officials knew they could not ignore.
In hopes of thwarting the president’s single biggest campaign promise – securing the border – Democrats chose to be obstructionists by refusing to fund President Trump’s border security initiatives. These initiatives were devised by nonpartisan border security experts – not politicians. Undaunted by the partisan Democrats, President Trump made no secret of his intent to think outside the box and come up with solutions of his own. And that’s exactly what he did. . . .
The historic agreement will end the magnet known as catch-and-release. It will free up valuable Border Patrol resources. It will save American taxpayers billions of dollars that otherwise would have been used to fund the many social programs, medical care, housing, education and incarceration (among other things) for illegal immigrants in the United States.
If Mexico follows through on this agreement, the Border Patrol will finally stop being a quasi-social services agency. We will once again become a law enforcement agency. This will allow us to properly focus on the criminal elements and dangerous drugs that flow across our borders, thereby protecting the safety and well-being of the United States citizens we serve.
And the political implications of all this? Overall, I see it as a big plus for President Trump. If Mexico does what it says it will do, the president can rightfully claim to have solved a problem that his predecessors either couldn’t solve – or worse, refused to solve.
The American people want their elected officials to be problem-solvers. And that’s what President Trump is. If all goes well with the agreement with Mexico on immigration, the president’s chances for re-election are now greater than ever. More importantly, the American people and our country will benefit by the Trump victory in the fight over illegal immigration.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
(Excerpted from Fox News, article by Brandon Judd.) Brandon Judd is the president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), the exclusive labor representative of approximately 16,000 Border Patrol agents.
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"By the Numbers: Here's How the Crisis on the Border is Getting Even Worse" - Katie Pavlich | @KatiePavlich |Jun 13, 2019; https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2019/06/13/by-the-numbers-heres-how-the-crisis-on-the-border-is-getting-even-worse-n2548042
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PRAYER MATTERS:
"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against
the disorder of the world. - Karl Barth
"Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer."- Stan
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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
In Nigeria (ranked #12 on the 2019 World Watch List), our brothers and sisters face increasing persecution on multiple fronts, including deadly attacks by Islamic extremists and extreme discrimination by Muslim families and communities.This month, we invite you to join us as we stand in prayer for our Nigerian family.
June 13 | DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Five believers were killed when militants attacked a church compound and destroyed homes near Beni. As a result, many have fled to other parts of the country or Uganda. Pray for comfort and provision for these families*Names changed to protect identities
June 13 | DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Five believers were killed when militants attacked a church compound and destroyed homes near Beni. As a result, many have fled to other parts of the country or Uganda. Pray for comfort and provision for these families*Names changed to protect identities
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