Unacceptable Headline

Of course, such a headline is politically unacceptable.

Thus, the UN Withdrew the Study.

A Nov. 18 story headlined “U.S. has world’s highest rate of children in detention -U.N. study” is withdrawn. The United Nations issued a statement on Nov. 19 saying the number was not current but was for the year 2015. No replacement story will be issued.

Story Pulled in Multiple Places

Not only did the UN pull the story, Reuters and Agence France-Presse also killed the story.

Oops, can't scandalize the wrong guy can we?

Border Dilemmas Are the Same for Trump or Obama

The Wall Street Journal reports Border Dilemmas Are the Same for Trump or Obama

Most of those turning up at our border and applying for refuge will surely be deported, insists the president’s hardhearted official spokesman. Oh wait. That was Obama spokesman Josh Earnest, referring in 2014 to unaccompanied minors showing up at the southern border: “It’s unlikely that most of those kids will qualify. . . . They will be sent back.” Still, the current administration’s fans gallingly argue that failing to deport immigration offenders will only encourage more to come: “There is nothing humanitarian in tacitly encouraging tens of thousands of children to risk their lives, often at the hands of cutthroat smugglers, to enter this country illegally.” Oh wait, that was the Washington Post editorializing in July 2014. As the paper went on to note approvingly: “During the past 14 years, under presidents Bush and Obama, the United States has sent more than 9,000 additional Border Patrol agents to the Southwest frontier, more than doubling the force there. It has built more than 600 miles of fencing; installed almost 12,000 underground sensors; and deployed scores of aircraft, drones and boats.” When you put it that way, Mr. Trump’s wall sounds merely incremental. Mr. Trump may not be less cynical than other politicians, but he layers on less hypocrisy. This offends.

Proposed Solutions

WSJ author Holman Jenkins, Jr. Solution: Start by welcoming any migrant prepared to post a refundable $5,000 border deposit. Overnight this would drain profits from the people traffickers. The money could be used to sponsor English instruction and other programs to help newcomers. By making the sum refundable, workers would receive an incentive to return home with their skills and capital to help their own countries. Australia's Solution: According to Emigrate Australia, Australia accepts skilled migrants under the age of 45, with a profession on the Australian skills shortage list. Australia also accepts permanent residency by investment. That means, you need to have enough money.

Australia's solution is far stricter than the proposal of Jenkins.

One Democrat on Right Track

Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana, and Democrat 2020 candidate has the right idea: "We’ve got 100,000 people showing up at the border right now. If we decriminalize entry, if we give health care to everyone, we’ll have multiples of that.”

Miserable Conditions

The lead image is from Facts Behind the Detention of Immigrants

I have no doubt that conditions are miserable and detentions are up under Trump.

But why?

Assessing the Blame

The current Democrat House will not fund the wall nor fund money for more detention centers. Child misery servers the Democrats well in this election campaign. The more misery the better. And Democrats openly encouraged migrants to come.

Trump is also to hugely to blame. On January 24, 2018, Democrats offered Trump $20 billion for a wall in return for amnesty. That was a fantastic deal in Trump's lap that the alleged king of the deal turned down. For details, please see TTF: Totally Trump's Fault.

So, here were are back at square one where the typical policies apply.

Free Stuff = More Votes

Democrats generally operate on the principle that free stuff buys votes, country be damned. Governor Bullock was an exception.

Politics aside, here's the fundamental economic truth: Open borders and massive amounts of free stuff are completely incompatible.

But free stuff offers buy votes. And demand for free stuff is unlimited. It's a guaranteed train wreck.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock