Paralysis at the Mexican border

Run for the border has taken on a new battle cry for thousands of illegal — undocumented — children, many with no parents in hand, streaming across Mexico from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, three countries among the poorest in Central America.

Since 2010, the number of children illegally crossing the border has doubled annually. With thousands of children pouring into the United States, federal law dictates the children cannot be held at a Border Patrol facility for more than 72 hours; hence, they must be released with a relative currently living in the country or sent to a shelter operated under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services.

While many critics have decried the United States’ role as the world policemen, it can be said that many Americans do not like the idea of this country serving as the world’s refugee center.

Washington lawmakers’ own stupidity has allowed this to happen, in part of a 2008 bill that granted children from Central American countries entrance into the U.S. and then a lengthy immigration hearing to decide if they either stay or return to their homes, which poses another problem because “where is home?”

Because of this influx of children and with the government — both the Obama Administration and Congress — handcuffed with not knowing how to deal with this calamity except throw money at, this crisis at the border will only become worse.

We have a president who doesn’t know how to lead but blame, professing to learn of problems on the nightly news; we have congressional lawmakers who refuse to roll up their sleeves and hammer out a plan to stop this run on the border. Eventually, the border states and their neighbors, such as Nevada, will also see the situation increase with a whopping multi-billion-dollar bill. Already, many undocumented children are being transported to the Midwest, and military facilities at Fort Sill, Okla., have opened housing these kids.

Could the two major military installations in Nevada —Fallon and Nellis — and the Hawthorne Army Depot be primed candidates for taking additional children? Could other government facilities in Churchill and neighboring Lyon and Mineral counties be at risk for housing.

Far-fetched idea? We don’t think so.

Ironically, we are trying to take care of these children who have illegally crossed the border, yet we can’t take care of our own children who live in poverty and struggle every day.

Our government must do something immediately to secure the border and eliminate the numerous loopholes to allow individual to enter the country through Mexico from Central America. Quit holding our citizens hostage to this immigration plight.

Editorials written by the LVN Editorial Board appear on Wednesdays.