As Government Shutdown Continues, Pence Says GOP and Dems Identify “Common Ground”

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The standoff between President Trump and House Democratic leaders over funding for a border wall that has led to parts of the federal government being shut down since December 22 continues. The president met with congressional leaders on January 4 in a meeting to address border security. And at the close of the meeting, Vice President Pence said administration officials met with congressional leaders to see if they could build on “the common ground that we identified in the discussions today.”

A January 5 article in the Washington Post stated that administration officials are “clamoring louder than ever” to get funding for the border wall, but acknowledged: “Only this time, they face a bona fide emergency on the border, and they’re struggling to make the case there’s truly a problem.”

The Post writer observed: “Record numbers of migrant families are streaming into the United States, overwhelming border agents and leaving holding cells dangerously overcrowded with children, many of whom are falling sick.”

New House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) described Trump’s proposed border wall as “a waste of money” and “an immorality” during a news conference hours after taking her position in the new Congress.

However, during the January 4 press conference, Trump suggested that a wall would be the solution to much of the humanitarian crisis because it would dissuade women and children from attempting a dangerous journey.

If they “know they can’t get through because we have a great border wall or fence or barrier, they’re not going to come up and you’re not going to have the problem,” Trump said.

While practically all Republicans support the wall, at least one former House member, Ron Paul (R-Texas), took a different approach to deterring migrants from illegally entering the United States.

In “How to Solve the Illegal Immigration Problem,” an article posted by the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity two years ago, Paul dismissed the Trump plan to build a wall at our border. Instead of a wall, Paul suggested:

How to tackle the real immigration problem? Eliminate incentives for those who would come here to live off the rest of us, and make it easier and more rational for those who wish to come here legally to contribute to our economy. No walls, no government databases, no biometric national ID cards. But not a penny in welfare for immigrants. It’s really that simple.