Does Trump Have the Right Stuff?

In November 1975, during the final months of the Francoist regime, the Moroccan government launched an invasion of the last European colony in Africa: Spanish Sahara. Carrying pictures of the Koran and their king, about 350,000 Moroccans, including 20,000 soldiers, walked about 10 kilometers into the territory. Spanish troops were ordered not to resist. A few days later, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signed an agreement, and Spain began pulling out of the territory entirely.

Hamas may have this example in mind. On March 30, approximately 30,000 Gazans marched to the Israeli border demanding a return to the land they presumably fled during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. They tried to breach the border fence, and the Israel Defense Forces opened fire. Hamas claims 16 people were killed. “Live ammunition was used only against those attempting to harm the fence,” stated IDF spokesman General Ronen Manelis. The general’s use of deadly force shows Israel’s determination to guard its borders. Drones also dropped gas on protesters.

There were smaller protests yesterday, but the marches and actions are supposed to culminate on May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel’s founding. While Israel repelled this initial march, one doubts the IDF could drive back a group the size of Morocco’s “Green March” without a massacre. It remains to be seen whether Hamas can use its new martyrs to draw bigger crowds. If Hamas managed to force a “right of return” for Gazans, the demographic shift would accelerate the end of the Jewish state.

Though he is facing both legal and health troubles, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not backing down. He congratulated the IDF on its actions, even as the United Nations Security-General demanded an investigation. Israel is far more forthright about demographic threats than European nations, with the prime minister declaring non-Jewish migrants a greater threat than terrorists. He is right. What American reporters would call “undocumented immigrants” Israelis call “infiltrators.”

The march was not all civilians. Even Hamas concedes some of the dead were from its military wing, and the Washington Post reported Palestinians were throwing Molotov cocktails and stones. One marvels at the cynicism (or courage, depending on one’s perspective) of Gazans who deliberately put noncombatants in a deadly situation to draw fire from the IDF. Needless to say, there has been little Western condemnation of Israel’s actions.

The IDF will probably hold the line and use force to stop future breaches. Hamas will then respond with force, allowing Israel to claim that it was repelling a military attack. Yet if Hamas (or protesters from the entire Islamic world) simply marched into the disputed territories without weapons, would the IDF open fire? Even using nonlethal weapons and gas would almost certainly lead to massive fatalities. If, like the Spanish troops, the IDF did not fire, it would mean the end of Israel.

While the numbers are not as great and the circumstances are not identical, America is now facing a similar threat. A convoy of thousands of illegals is marching through Mexico towards America’s southern border. This is not spontaneous, or even unprecedented. In a largely sympathetic piece, Adolfo Flores of BuzzFeed writes that a group called “Pueblos Sin Fronteras” [People Without Borders] organized the caravan.

Though the group calls itself a charity, some of the organizers of this group are explicit about their hatred of the United States and their desire to abolish the border, which would obviously mean the end of our country. It’s an invasion, not a migration. Indeed, the invaders are reportedly chanting “we are not immigrants!”

According to this piece, organizers from Pueblo Sin Fronteras are very clearly providing concrete organization and logistics to South Americans–many of whom intend to illegally cross into the U.S. One of the organizers, Alex Mensing, lives in Oakland.https://t.co/lZuyRJ2hwI

— Jonah Bennett (@BennettJonah) March 31, 2018

It’s not hard to find Alex Mensing’s views on the border. pic.twitter.com/lOWImPaOpv

— Jonah Bennett (@BennettJonah) March 31, 2018

The story notes that Irineo Mujica is a director of the organization. What’s Mujica, a “longtime permanent resident of Minnesota” doing providing assistance to South Americans who intend to break the law by entering the U.S. illegally? https://t.co/OboUxDQWWJ

— Jonah Bennett (@BennettJonah) March 31, 2018

Mexico is doing nothing to stop this caravan; it has “crossed immigration checkpoints, military bases, and police without being stopped.” The Mexican government takes a more unforgiving stance towards Central Americans who try to stay in Mexico. Article 33 of Mexican constitution allows the Chief Executive simply to expel foreigners and explicitly states “foreigners may not, in any manner, involve themselves in the political affairs of the country.”

Obviously, this is a political test of will. Eventually, this group will reach America’s southern border, where there is, contrary to President Trump’s campaign promises, no “big, beautiful, powerful wall.”

Each invader will probably claim “asylum” because of violence in his home country. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez, the first Latino judge in the Western District of Washington and a George W. Bush appointee, loosened the requirements for applying for and receiving asylum on Friday, March 29. As has repeatedly happened since President Trump’s inauguration, a federal judge is making it harder to enforce immigration law, especially once infiltrators make it into the country.

Furthermore, as the President Trump has thus far not fulfilled his campaign promise to repeal birthright citizenship, pregnant women who make it to American soil will give birth to American citizens, which will make it harder to send them back. Obviously, if this group can reach and remain in America, it will encourage further caravans. The result will be an endless and artificially created “refugee crisis” of the sort that is engulfing Europe.

President Trump’s refusal to back down during the campaign in the face of political correctness inspired much of his support. However, more than a year into his administration, it appears President Trump’s is willing only to defend his own reputation, not his positions. Even Mitt Romney is claiming he now has a stronger position on immigration than Donald Trump.

This is the critical moment of the Trump Administration. If he fails now, it not only reveals him as weak and his immigration platform as a sham, it ensures America’s southern border will dissolve.

Of course, where there is danger, there is opportunity. This crisis provides the perfect opportunity for President Trump to explain why a border wall is necessary. He can also use his authority as Commander-in-Chief to send the forces necessary to the southern border to repel this caravan and guard the area until the wall is built. By not letting this crisis go to waste, President Trump can finally pin down the Democrats on immigration in an election year.

It also provides an opportunity for a reckoning with Mexico. Ann Coulter, in a recent interview with the New York Times describing her “Former Trumper” position, dismissed “Mexico will pay for it” as a slogan Trump voters could live without. This concedes too much. President Trump can impose a remittance tax and have Mexicans pay for the wall. This was what was proposed during the campaign and legislation to do this has already been introduced. Even mentioning the possibility would probably spur the Mexican government to stop the caravan and prevent others.

President Trump has taken a strong pro-Israel position since entering office. The best way he can put “America First” is to learn from Israel’s example. In 2014, Glenn Beck handed out soccer balls and teddy bears to migrants, saying Americans must “open their hearts.” Now it is time for Americans to steel their will.

During the campaign, President Trump was fond of saying, “If we don’t have borders, we don’t have a country.” In a just a few days, we will find out if we have either.