Viability Of Trump Wall Could Be Threatened By Own DHS Pick
Could the Great Trump Wall be in trouble? Trump’s biggest campaign promise is seemingly under threat, and before it ever gets off the ground. At least, if you believe the words of Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security pick, Kirstjen Nielsen.
In her Senate confirmation hearing on November 8, Democrat members grilled Nielsen on various questions pertaining to pressing Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs matters. By all accounts, she came up aces.
However, when the topic shifted to border wall, a potential ideological divide developed.
That moment arrived when Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) solicited her views on Trump’s border wall plans along the Mexican border. In a stark break from Trump’s explicit intentions, Kirstjen answered, “there is no need for a wall from sea to shining sea.” (Source: “Kirstjen Nielsen, Trump’s nominee to lead Homeland Security, sails through confirmation hearing,” The Washington Post, November 8, 2017.)
Kirstjen seemingly attempted to shift the emphasis away from a physical barrier to a virtual one. She specifically emphasized technology as playing just as important a role as a physical wall to help stem immigration. “It’s not just people, it’s not just barriers, but it’s also technology and it is the policies and procedures that enable us to sense and quickly respond,” Nielsen said. (Source: “Donald Trump’s DHS Nominee: ‘No Need for a Wall from Sea to Shining Sea’,” Breitbart, November 8, 2017.)
Many conservative, nationalists and “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) proponents immediately seized on this soul-crushing sentiment. Not only are border hawk conservatives dead-set on an impenetrable physical wall, they have been let down by “virtual wall” promises in the past. Pilot projects on the latter have proven ineffective wherever they have been implemented.
Below is a sampling of reactions generated from well-know right-leaning columnists and pundits:
DHS nominee Nielsen excited to share her discovery that we do NOT need to build a wall on impassable portions of our border!!! EUREKA! Who knew that???
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) November 9, 2017
At Homeland Security confirmation hearing, nominee Kirstjen Nielsen:
1) Border wall: Says no wall built from sea to sea.
2) Asking for immigration status: Says yes to if there's reasonable suspicion.
3) DACA: "we must and owe it to them to find permanent solution."— Esther Lee (@EstherYuHsiLee) November 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/JxhnBinder/status/928381500109852672
Whoever is ultimately confirmed will have considerable access to the levers of power. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employs more than 240,000 people and has responsibility for issues such as U.S. border and airport security, immigration policy, disaster response, and refugee admissions. It’s one of the most authoritative departments in the Federal government, with a direct communication channel to the President himself.
Kirstjen Nielsen Maintains Solidarity With Trump On Climate Change
The DHS is only peripherally involved on climate change issues. This mainly pertains to crisis planning scenarios involving the food supply, floods, or other security issues which may result from extreme temperatures. Nevertheless, Kirstjen Nielsen maintained solidarity with Trump on the climate change front.
She did not deny that climate change existed, but was non-committal as to the causes. Expressed Kirstjen, “I can’t unequivocally state it’s caused by humans… There are many contributions to it.” (Source: “Homeland nominee questions human role in climate change,” Yahoo!, November 8, 2017)
This appeared to irk senior Democrats aligned with Al Gore on the issue. Nielsen was chastised by two senators in particular: Senators Tom Carper (D-Del) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).
Carper maintains that his state is “sinking” due to rising ocean levels. He characterized Nielsen’s comment as troubling, saying, “Ninety-eight percent of our scientists say this is a problem and we as humans are the root cause”.
Hassan echoed a similar mantra, lecturing Nielsen that she needed to, “educate herself” and adding, “What I heard in your answer is politics before science. That concerns me greatly.” (Source: Ibid.)
Our Final Analysis
Trump wall proponents have been waiting decades for action on the southern border. For most conservatives, this has been a festering issue since 1986, when the Simpson–Mazzoli Act granted amnesty for 2.7-million illegal immigrants. Ronald Reagan signed the bill which put it in motion.
The bill was accepted by most conservatives at the time because it was paired with promises of controlling the border and penalizing employers who hire illegal immigrants. However, a standardized, impenetrable border wall never came, nor did zero-tolerance efforts to control illegal status hiring. Various vested interest corporate lobbyist consortiums have proven too powerful.
When George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act of 2006, conservatives finally believed the Federal government was taking the issue seriously. The act authorized hundreds of miles of additional fencing along the Southern border, with addition security enhancements. The bill had broad bipartisan support, passing the House of Representatives 283–138, and the Senate by an even wider margin of 80–19.
However, very little was actually done. Money appropriated for the project went unspent. Money spent on “virtual fencing” proved completely ineffective. Obama showed zero inclination on moving forward during his two terms in office. The status quo has dragged on endlessly.
For conservatives, Trump’s MAGA agenda might be the last best chance to fortify “Uncle Sam.” That’s why the base is pushing so hard to get this constructed right now. Kirstjen Nielsen’s comments are a shocking repudiation of Trump’s MAGA agenda, as the DHS maintains a direct hand in seeing the project through. Disunity with his own nominee adds a troubling layer of doubt to the equation.
For the climate-skeptic wing of Trump’s base, they need not fear that Nielsen will bend Trump’s ear towards the default global position. We also don’t believe her position will thwart her confirmation, as Democrats will gladly trade a Trump wall antagonist for someone only peripherally involved in climate change matters.