Speaking Wednesday in Texas, the president wanted two points made clear: the situation at the southern border flooded with child immigrants is serious, and the solution, he says, is right in front of us.
OBAMA: "While we intend to do the right thing by these children, their parents need to know that this is an incredibly dangerous situation." (Via Fox News)
OBAMA: "This thing can get done next week. We can put more border patrol agents on the border. ... We can shorten the timetables for processing these children." (Via AlJazeera)
What President Obama wants is a $3.7 billion financial package to resolve this crisis at the border — money for immigration judges, extra patrol agents and food and shelter for the many child immigrants now in U.S. custody.
Since October, more than 52,000 young immigrants — many of them from Central America — have tried to illegally cross the U.S. border with Mexico and been arrested. (Via Getty Images)
It's undoubtedly a humanitarian crisis. And yet this week has been dominated by conspiracy theories about Obama's motives ...
GOV. RICK PERRY: "I have to believe that when you do not respond in any way that you are either inept or you have some ulterior motive." (Via ABC)
... political finger pointing ...
"They haven't done anything about immigration reform, so how can they blame President Obama?" (Via MSNBC)
... and time wasted talking about whether or not the president and Texas governor would shake hands.
"What he had rejected was a handshake on the tarmac in Austin." (Via CNN)
Which is especially frustrating because everyone on both sides of the aisle seems to want the same thing: the child immigrants sent back to their home countries and the border secured.
After talking with Republican Gov. Rick Perry Wednesday, Obama said there's “nothing that the governor indicated he’d like to see that I have a philosophical objection to." (Via Getty Images)
While, in a statement, Perry blasted the president for not actually going to the border and then finished with, "The president needs to commit the resources necessary to get this done," which is exactly what Obama has tried to do. (Via Getty Images)
Keep in mind this $3.7 billion package to deal with the border crisis is a totally separate issue of gridlock from the wider goal of immigration reform. That legislation has been passed in a form favored by Democrats in the Senate but hasn't even been brought to a vote in the House.
