Thread: Trump's effort to secure the border is making America safe again

Trump's effort to secure the border is making America safe again

By Dino Teppara, opinion contributor
04/06/18 10:30 AM EDT

President Trump recently called for action to secure the southern border. This is the same action taken by both President Obama and President George W. Bush.

Yet, immediate opposition for this commonsense proposal has arisen from the left. Why?

President Trump did not say this would be permanent. He did say because Democrats have obstructed his primary campaign pledge to build a wall — by only providing $1.6 billion of wall funding instead of $25 billion — he is now taking appropriate actions to keep America safe.

We have simply reached a breaking point with a vocal minority in this country failing to understand the critical connection between border security and our national security. Without the president’s decisive action, we will continue to see human and drug trafficking unabated, making our communities less safe.

The president's action to temporarily deploy the National Guard to the border, assisting states in the fight against illegal immigration, is a smart strategy. While congressional Democrats thought they scored a political win by approving a much smaller appropriation for wall funding in the omnibus bill, Trump has now outplayed them — again. His decision puts more pressure on Democrats to finally stop obfuscating and do the right thing — and work with him in bipartisan fashion — to approve additional funding so meaningful work can begin to secure our southern border.

In addition to stopping human smugglers, the movement of drugs, and gang members into our country, we are finally getting a grip on border security and reaffirming the rule of law for the majority of Americans who voted for Trump. Unfortunately, the vocal minority that opposes Trump at every turn — simply because he defeated their preferred candidate — have gone even further in the other direction, by creating sanctuary states and cities, threatening those who seek to follow federal law and cooperate with federal officials.

Today, we simply have too many loopholes that are being exploited by those seeking to take advantage of our border, by promoting their own economic interests, instead of balancing the needs of those immigrants seeking to enter with the citizens who are already here. This is exactly why Trump has called for a merit-based immigration system, which is the opposite of the open borders agenda espoused by those opposing him. Trump wants an orderly immigration process, where people are thoroughly vetted before entering; Democrats want chaos at the border.

That is finally coming to an end, as Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen embark on a new initiative to protect our southern border. Trump is ending the policy of catch and release and has put the ball in the Democrats’ court. “Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military,” he said.

Nielsen herself captured the sentiment of millions of Americans who voted for Trump when she said that “our current border security and immigration laws fail the American people. The system rewards bad behavior. It does not punish lawbreakers. It undermines our nation’s economic interests.”

By deploying National Guard members to the border, who by law can only serve in a support role, we build the capacity of our brave border patrol to counter the many threats along our border and the massive spike in attempted border crossings. As Trump’s economic and trade policies create thousands of jobs that need to be filled by Americans first, we can only expect that increased border crossings will continue in the months and years ahead. Which means that Democrats need to get on board and work with Trump to provide the necessary funding for effective border security.

It's too bad not all lawmakers are on board. California is now boasting that more than one million people here in the country illegally have received driver’s licenses. Privileges usually reserved for citizens, such as in-state tuition or government political appointments, are being offered to illegal aliens. These decisions blur the traditional lines established by our nation’s federal immigration laws, which clearly distinguish the rights, privileges, and obligations that exist for U.S. citizens and those for non-citizens.

President Trump is taking concrete steps to move our border security in the right direction. He should be commended for his actions.

Dino Teppara is an attorney, reserve naval officer, and naturalized U.S. citizen who served as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and in former S.C. Governor Nikki R. Haley’s administration. The views expressed are his own.

http://thehill.com/opinion/immigrati...ica-safe-again

Wow, what a great well-written article. Thank you Dino Teppara. Thank you very very much.

An article about Dino Teppara:

S.C. Education Department spokesman Dino Teppara fulfills sibling pact by joining Navy

December 9, 2014
Cola Daily Staff

A pact two brothers made 13 years ago at the onset of the Sept. 11 attacks culminated in the two joining the military to give back to the country that accepted them as immigrants. Dino Teppara, Legislative and Public Affairs director for the South Carolina Department of Education, entered the Navy on Monday with a commissioning ceremony that was attended by his closest family and friends.

Teppara’s brother, U.S. Air Force Reserve Maj. Nikhil Teppara, read him the oath as his wife pinned him with insignia designating him an ensign with the Navy.

“I would like to call on all of us to work to be the right people, at the right place at the right time,” Dino said. “You don’t have to wear the uniform to serve. Serving your community may mean helping your church member in need, or maybe reaching out to a neighbor or assisting a little league team. But if we all have the resolve our veterans and servicemembers do, we can work to make our community, our state and our nation the best place to live for all Americans.”

Dino, who is of Indian descent, made his way to America from Canada in 1997 along with his brother and parents. At the time, Nikhil became a naturalized citizen with his parents, which took nearly 10 years. But Dino, who was five years older and went through the process on his own, endured a much longer quest to become a U.S. citizen.

“This means that much more because its taken him that much longer to become a U.S. citizen,” Nikhil said. “But once he did, everything fell into plan. I’m very happy that this is a reality.”

Both brothers said they thought it was necessary to repay the country that welcomed their family with open arms and gave them opportunities to excel, including Nikhil attending medical school and Dino graduating from law school. The events on Sept. 11, 2001 solidified that promise to serve and defend the United States.

“We still felt we hadn’t served this country that has given us so much, in terms of education and opportunities,” Nikhil said. “We basically made a pact. We said when we become naturalized we’re going to be joining the military. We felt that that was something we had to do in order to, in our heads, justify us being here.”
From left to right: U.S. House Rep. Joe Willson; Dino Teppara’s parents; Dino Teppara; Nikhil Teppara; and Attorney General Alan Wilson.

U.S. Rep. Joe Willson (from left); Dino Teppara’s mother and father; Dino Teppara; Nikhil Teppara; and Attorney General Alan Wilson (photo by Kelly Petty)

Nikhil joined the Air Force in 2007 and is part of the 440th MDS. He said he has looked up to his older brother as a role model and as someone who he said “stands for all the right things.”

“He’s taught me so many things in terms of how to be a husband, how to be a good human,” Nikhil said.

Dino, who joked Monday morning that he had been in the Navy “for five minutes,” took time during his prepared speech to specifically recognize military veterans for their efforts. At one point during the ceremony, Dino asked guests at each table to stand and announce their or their family’s military service. A number of men and women spoke of generations of military service from as far back as the Revolutionary War up to today’s conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We really have to honor our veterans first in order to talk about our military today,” Dino said.

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, who appointed Dino as chief of staff, recalled the first time he had heard him speak at the state fairgrounds on Indian-American Day in 2001.

“Dino has been, to me, such an extraordinary representative of that community,” Wilson said. “What a success story of a family.”

Attorney General Alan Wilson gave Dino a bit of advice about the role he would take in the armed forces.

“Leadership is about service,” he said. “I believe, knowing you the way I do … that your shoulders are big enough for the burdens for the mantle of leadership that you are about to take.”

http://www.coladaily.com/2014/12/09/...-joining-navy/
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It is not fair for illegal aliens including DACAs to jump to the front of the line ahead of legal immigrants, many of whom are naturalized citizens who came here legally and the right way, like the Teppara family. I hope everyone in DC keeps that in mind, because granting any special favors to illegal aliens especially those that lead to citizenship will ultimately cancel out the votes and rights of natural born, native born and naturalized citizens and be one of the greatest setbacks to the advancement of civil rights in this country since Andrew Johnson's black codes.

Those activist judges are the lynch pin to the USA's degradation...

It actually does look like Trump is trying to keep his promises after he had everyone angry about his "Amnesty Don" phase.

I'm warming back up to Trump but he's still needs to be watched...

One day people will understand what he was doing. Things weren't as they appeared, but it doesn't matter, he got what he needed and it's full steam ahead.

Originally Posted by Judy

One day people will understand what he was doing. Things weren't as they appeared, but it doesn't matter, he got what he needed and it's full steam ahead.

Full steam ahead!

Originally Posted by Judy

One day people will understand what he was doing. Things weren't as they appeared, but it doesn't matter, he got what he needed and it's full steam ahead.

I would argue that. Things were exactly as they appeared. Trump offered to amnesty 1.8 million illegals for the border fence. It was cut and dry, there was zero ambiguity on that very transparent fact! And no, he didn't get what he needed out of that. Heck, he couldn't even get any funding for his border wall in the recent spending bill. Trump came away looking foolish for having signed the bill!

What you missed was why Trump did that. Trump did that to fund the government and increase military spending. He got what he needed, now he's using our fully-funded functioning government and increased military spending to defend our nation including our borders. Now he doesn't need DemoQuacks or more funding to secure the border, because under our US Constitution, he can secure that border through the US military .... forever. Personally, I prefer it over the wall.

Originally Posted by Judy

What you missed was why Trump did that.

And that still isn't clear.

Originally Posted by Judy

Trump did that to fund the government and increase military spending.

If he had vetoed that bill, the government would have shut down Friday, Saturday Sunday, and on Monday, when Congress reconvened, after a weekend of hate mail from constituents, would have been in high gear to either fund what President Trump requested or play around with another CR. Who knows who would have come out on top, but we would most likely not have that albatross.

Originally Posted by Judy

He got what he needed, now he's using our fully-funded functioning government and increased military spending to defend our nation including our borders.

NO, HE DID NOT! The bill specifically prohibited his wall. He already had the ability to dispatch the NG before that bill. And the movement of those military funds will still need to be approved by Congress. SO HE GOT NOTHING!

Originally Posted by Judy

Now he doesn't need DemoQuacks or more funding to secure the border, because under our US Constitution, he can secure that border through the US military .... forever.

And he had that power either way.

Originally Posted by Judy

Personally, I prefer it over the wall.

A difference of opinion, but if illegal aliens come running across an open field, can Border Patrol or NG shoot at them? If they come over a wall, their options are more clear!

It doesn't matter that you don't see. You'll see as time goes by. That's all I can say about it.