There has been a lot of attention paid lately to looming water shortages in arid western states. Many reports mention the pressure that rapidly growing populations in these states are putting on rivers and aquifers as household use competes with agricultural operations for dwindling supplies. What has been given little attention is the fact that immigration is a major part of the story.
The border fence along the border with Mexico has been a contentious issue. Many environmental organizations have opposed barriers because of concerns about the effect on wildlife habitats, but has any acknowledged the widespread destruction caused by illegal immigration coming through Mexico?
How would you answer that question? This was how it was put to me recently and I thought it might be helpful to others to share how I responded. It is my job, of course, to talk about immigration reduction, but it also is something I strongly believe will help Americans, especially the most desperate already among us.
The crises in California are a long way from over, and the problems will be more difficult to solve as the state's population, now at 40 million, continues to grow. Wildfires, water shortages, and planned power outages are just the tip of the iceberg if population is not part of the discussion to fix and enforce U.S. immigration policies.
A recent story in The New Yorker about an asylum seeker from Honduras tells a compelling story about a woman seeking to escape a violent past. The reporter, like many before her, fails to ask crucial questions that, if pursued, would give the reader a much fuller and more accurate understanding of the actual facts of the case.