The dirty little secret of talks underway in Washington on immigration policy reform is a taxpayer-funded bonanza for private contractors tucked into so-called “border security” proposals.
These plans to escalate unnecessary border control technologies – including drones, helicopters and sensors – would pour billions more down the black hole of the current broken immigration system. If passed, these provisions would squander a unique opportunity to enact humane and fair reforms that protect human rights and keep families together.
Proposals in both the House and Senate bear the fingerprints of private defense contractors that have spent millions in lobbying and campaign contributions to politicians writing these policies. These bills result from efforts by Pentagon contractors to increase their own “security,” or revenue, as the United States withdraws from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and there is a pause on military action in Syria. These proposals are a boondoggle for defense contractors, not a meaningful solution to the chaos of our immigration system.
On June 27, the Senate passed the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act,” which adds $46 billion for a “surge” of spending to militarize the US/Mexico border with additional manpower and technologies used during the wars. The bill’s language allows millions of dollars in sweetheart deals to go to top Pentagon contractors.
Even before the “border surge” was proposed, too many public dollars were going to these failed policies. Last year alone, the US government spent $18 billion – more than all federal criminal law enforcement agencies combined – on immigration enforcement efforts, including on the southern border.
When these enforcement tactics lead to separation of families and fragile communities, it is clear that our current enforcement system needs closer scrutiny, particularly in the area of abuse by Border Patrol agents. Little or no accountability exists for extreme human rights violations, such as the murders of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, 16-year-old Jose Rodriguez, and Valeria Monique Tachiquin, a US citizen and mother of five who was shot by an undercover Border Patrol agent in broad daylight.
Border security tactics are extremely problematic and costly. So why then are certain members of Congress so eager to send a blank check to militarize the southern border, especially during this time of deep budget cuts?
Let’s follow the money, as reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act:
* The four top defense-contracting corporations collectively donated $937,000 to Senate candidates in 2012 alone.
* The corporations and employees manufacturing the products listed in the Senate bill have dedicated a whopping $11.5 million to federal political candidates/campaigns since 2009.
* All of the eight Senate coauthors of the bill took campaign contributions from the top defense contractors’ political action committees in 2013.
* Between April 1 and June 30 alone – as the Senate was debating and eventually passing the bill – defense contractor Northrop Grumman spent $3.5 million on lobbying; United Technologies paid $2.29 million, and EADS North America put in $906,440.
* This group of companies spent about $74,250 per day on lobbying activities during that short window of opportunity.
This flow of cash is part of a strategy that brought an excellent return. The bill specifically orders the Department of Homeland Security to purchase six Northrop Grumman manufactured radar systems totaling over $55 million, 15 United Technologies’ Blackhawk helicopters at over $250 million, and eight helicopters from parent company EADS North America for $24 million, as reported by the Washington Post.
What’s at risk is more than humane immigration reforms that allow families and communities to prosper together. Our democracy itself is at stake when constituents expressing concerns about their communities are drowned out by the siren call of cash-carrying corporations wooing all-too-easily influenced elected officials.
By gearing up to create one of the world’s most militarized borders, Congress plans to line the pockets of contractors seeking their next windfall.
Benjamin Franklin said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Those who would secure profits at the expense of humane, fair and comprehensive immigration reform must be rebuffed, for the sake of all our essential liberties.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.