Reader Thomas Jones responded to my letter regarding the scuttling of the bipartisan immigration reform bill by calling it “blatant politics,” adding, “to blame Republicans and Donald Trump for the current border crisis is beyond ridiculous” [“Trojan Horse,” Letters, February 22].
Reading this, I have to wonder if Mr. Jones even read my letter. I did not assign blame for the current border crisis — but I did criticize former President Trump for scuttling a bill that would have improved the border situation immensely.
Mr. Jones referred to the bill as a “trojan horse.” But that term implies that the bill was introduced by some enemy. On the contrary, the bill was actually negotiated by Senator James Langford, one of the most conservative members of the Senate. It was praised by Rupert Murdoch’s conservative Wall Street Journal and was supported by the union representing Border Patrol agents.
It would not have eliminated unlawful immigration, but it would have reduced the numbers and brought some semblance of order to the border. And it would have shown Americans that our two parties are still capable of working together and compromising for the common good. Was the bill perfect? Hardly. But it might have been a good first step.
The bill was not a shoo-in, but it did have a realistic chance at passage. That is, until Donald Trump chimed in. It seems he did not want the bill to pass because it might strip him of an issue that he could use in his run against President Joe Biden. He did not even attempt to hide his motivation. I can only suspect that the former president’s narcissism prevented him from seeing how blatantly self-serving and un-American this was.
I would be remiss if I did not mention my Press pen pal Ed Surgan, who still insists that all things bad at the border are Joe Biden’s fault [“Pig Is a Pig,” Letters, February 22]. The fact of the matter is that both parties have treated immigration as a political football since the Reagan administration. But I think Mr. Trump and his Republican allies should be ashamed of themselves for killing a bill that, while not perfect, would have made our southern border less chaotic. And they did this not because the legislation contained policies they disapprove of, but rather because they were unwilling to give up an issue they can use to attack Joe Biden.
They have lost all credibility on this topic.
John Neely
Westhampton Beach
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