Making the melting pot Immigration |
Immigrants welcome, racists not |
Secure the border is an American euphemism often used in a racist context for "we hate smelly Mexicans respectfully decline association with Mexican countries Latin Americans"[1] (although the term itself is applicable throughout the world in reference to neighboring scapegoat countries other than Mexico). This can be most widely evidenced due to the fact that while xenophobes clamor for a secure border between the United States and Mexico, they seem to have little concern for the far larger, undefended border between the U.S. and Canada. And this explanation doesn't even consider the United States' largest border: that being the combined borders with various major bodies of water. After all, you never know when the whales will seek their revenge!
It is also a euphemism for such security theater as national ID cards, massive surveillance, mandatory pre-employment background checks, adding biometric features to Social Security cards, "smart chips" or RFID chips in passports, requiring passports to enter or leave the U.S. from Canada, etc. These will probably make some government contractors rich. What they have to do with "the border" is anyone's guess, although John Tanton, the Michigan activist behind much of the anti-immigration movement, considers these Really Important.
While the anti-immigration movement is clearly racist in character, there are areas in which the administration of the border could be improved. Instead of wasting their time separating tax-paying families with kids, the government could spend more time chasing contraband items such as drugs, guns, and illegal money, as all of these items contribute to the drug trade. But most of those who cry "secure the border" are generally trying to promote white supremacy, not necessarily looking for a solution to drug trafficking. This is especially evident as many of those same people support policies that only aggravate the drug war.