A new surge of 'border kids' could shake up 2016
In the summer of 2014, a surge of unaccompanied minors at the Mexican border became a humanitarian crisis and a political maelstrom that shook up the midterms.
Just in time for 2016, the issue is resurfacing, the Washington Post reports:
In October and November, more than 10,500 children crossed the U.S.-Mexico border by themselves, the vast majority from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, according to U.S. government data analyzed by the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. That’s a 106 percent increase over the same period last year, reflecting a steady increase that began in March. Your daily jolt on politics from the AJC's Political insider blog
The numbers are still far below the peak period last year, when more than 10,600 unaccompanied minors crossed the border just in the month of June, swamping federal resources. And the administration, widely believed to have missed the warning signs before the previous surge, “is certainly a lot more concerned and on top of it than they were two years ago,” said Marc Rosenblum, deputy director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the policy institute.
During the last border kids surge, more than 1,600 ended up in Georgia.
Such a surge would only inflame the immigration fight in the presidential race. On the premium site today, we take a look at the Ted Cruz-Marco Rubio feud, which touches on this issue:
Rubio, meanwhile, claimed the pair are not as far apart on immigration as Cruz's rhetoric suggests. He pointed to amendments Cruz offered to the 2013 immigration bill that would have increased legal immigration, and still allow legalization but not citizenship for those here illegally.
"I have never supported legalization, and I do not intend to support legalization," Cruz replied on stage.
Cruz had a tough interview with Fox News' Bret Baier on Wednesday on the subject, contrasting his 2013 statements with what he is saying now:
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Speaking of Cruz: Ahead of a Georgia visit this week, the Republican presidential candidate opened a Valdosta office on Wednesday with food, drinks and local officials.
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Talk about strange bedfellows. Gay rights groups are finding an unusual compatriot in the Gold Dome for the fight to allow alcohol sales earlier on Sundays.
State Rep. Brett Harrell, a Republican from Snellville, is again pushing his House Bill 535, which would allow municipalities across Georgia to start serving alcohol on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – two hours earlier than the current 12:30 p.m.
Why are they unlikely allies? Harrell is among the group of Republicans who backed the "religious freedom" legislation that's loathed by gay rights organizations - and likely to be revived in January.
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CNN's Tuesday night debate in Las Vegas brought in 18 million viewers, making it the third most-watched debate of the year. Ratings had been declining for clashes on the more obscure Fox Business and CNBC.
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WSB-Radio talker Erick Erickson -- as we first reported way back in the summer -- is leaving the conservative blog RedState that he helmed for a decade. Erickson's last post went up early this morning. A taste:
"I've learned that being kind is not an obligation, but a necessity of life. I've learned that there are far too many who show no grace and people on the internet are in a race to always remind you of your sins. I've learned that social media can draw out the worst in all of us, myself definitely included, anonymity breeds contemptibility, and comment sections should always be ignored. I've learned the Oxford comma is a defining characteristic of a civilized society, that I suck at proofreading, and sometimes there is no reward in doing the right thing, but you should always still do it as a reward in itself because tomorrow you will see yourself in the mirror even if no one else does."
