Scale of One To Ten.....(full disclosure, a border drama question)

[gimmethesimplelife]

, one being lowest, ten being highest - where would you rate the following: There is a crisis at the US/Mexico border? I'll go first but I'll get more specific. Considering drugs I'll go all the way to 9, especially now that Mexican drug cartels are counterfeiting oxycodone pills that are laced with fentanyl that foolish people cross the border to buy/smuggle or that get smuggled across in other ways - are causing deaths in Arizona and elsewhere. As far as people go - I'll give this a 4. Where to you rank the above? Rob

[Yppej]

I so not know enough or have enough first hand experience to provide a rating.

[JaneV2.0]

The drug problem is one we've created, and the smuggling takes place largely at border crossings. We don't have a border problem, we have a greed and dependency problem, IMO. People like the Sacklers created massive opioid dependency, and the cartels are capitalizing on it. I'd say zero.

[bae]

Zero

[Teacher Terry]

Zero

[gimmethesimplelife]

ZeroInteresting take on your part, bae. I'm not trashing you here, please understand this. I only say this in response to your one word post as you live so close to the Canadian border and US CBP has been sending more officers south of you over the past few years - in the area of Forks, on the Olympic Peninsula. I know this as some seasonal workers from Ecuador I know who are in the country legally btw - told me of how overboard US CBP is going along the Olympic Peninsula. And I perceive you to be someone in support of law enforcement in general, so interesting take. You are most certainly welcome to it, though....no bashing going on here. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

Not trashing anyone's take here....I just find it interesting to get these responses of zero while I am one the liberals here and have a mostly anti law enforcement and very anti US CBP take going on, and I still hold by my drugs at nine and people at four. Drugs smuggled in from Mexico are a huge problem in Arizona and working in hospitality, which is a ground zero for those with substance issues that are still able to maintain employment - I see the effects around me constantly. About the people - I believe it's true that DHS is overwhelmed. I'm not suddenly going soft on my stances here - my take is that I understand that the composition of the migrant flow has changed. Where it was once mostly single Mexican males, it is now much more unaccompanied children and whole families, mostly from Central America. The goal is not to sneak in, work, and send money home to support families - the goal is now to acquire asylum and start over. I can see where this latter is overwhelming DHS and US CBP as they are not set up to accommodate this new migrant pattern. I'm not trashing the migrants, I'm just saying this is my reasoning for the 4 rating as far as people goes. Rob

[ApatheticNoMore]

Yea maybe 4, Trump is full of nonsense, but apparently there actually is a huge number of asylum seekers presently, that don't fit prior immigrant profiles (of mostly men and some women but not usually whole families).

[bae]

Interesting take on your part, bae.

You asked about a "crisis" along the border. The only "crisis" I see is the border and border issues being used as a political pinata to divide us all, generate controversy, and stir up Know-Nothingism.

The "crisis" is in our leadership, and in the breathless media coverage.

I had dinner last night with a good friend from Argentina, and a friend from Colombia. They think we have gone insane.

[gimmethesimplelife]

You asked about a "crisis" along the border. The only "crisis" I see is the border and border issues being used as a political pinata to divide us all, generate controversy, and stir up Know-Nothingism.

The "crisis" is in our leadership, and in the breathless media coverage.

I had dinner last night with a good friend from Argentina, and a friend from Colombia. They think we have gone insane.Interesting that your friend from Columbia thinks that we have gone insane in regards to this issue (for the record I agree to some extent with your friend from Colombia even though I hold by my drugs at 9 and people at 4).

Reason I state this? Colombian society is dealing with it's own deluge of migrants from neighboring Venezuela, a country losing people every day and it continues it's relentless downward spiral as a failed nation/state. Rob

[JaneV2.0]

Maybe DHS is overwhelmed because it's been tasked with terrorizing immigrants in addition to looking for drug smugglers.

[frugal-one]

Spent some time at the Rio Grande area of Texas this winter. I questioned MANY of the locals on their thoughts about the wall. Based on their responses and my observations I would say ZERO.

I think Bae is right on track in his response:

You asked about a "crisis" along the border. The only "crisis" I see is the border and border issues being used as a political pinata to divide us all, generate controversy, and stir up Know-Nothingism.

The "crisis" is in our leadership, and in the breathless media coverage.