Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, we have a challenge for you. President Donald Trump told several governors on Friday that he has no plans to surge federal immigration operations in states where such assistance is not wanted. CLICK HERE to read the story. His statement came after residents of several states, including California, Oregon and Minnesota, let the president know that heavy-handed enforcement by ICE agents isn’t welcome.
To be sure, there’s widespread disagreement about this. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said people in his state don’t have any problems with ICE enforcement actions.
Many Arkansas residents say that want all undocumented aliens deported. They list a variety of complaints, from “they’re taking our jobs,” to concerns about their impact on health care, social services and education.
You have joined other Republican governors in committing National Guardsmen and state and local law enforcement to assist with mass deportations. And you have pledged that the state will act harshly against undocumented residents who commit violent crimes, which is fair enough since we expect the state to act harshly against anyone who commits violent crimes – citizens or not.
There certainly are undocumented people living in Arkansas. Due to the nature of the situation, estimates vary, but there is general agreement that the number is between 55,000 and 80,000 people in a state with a census of just over 3 million.
So, here’s our challenge. Actually, it’s more like a dare. The president said he won’t surge immigration enforcement into any state unless a governor seeks such assistance. We dare you, Gov. Sanders, to write a formal request and announce at a press conference on Wednesday that you have asked President Trump to flood Arkansas with federal agents to round up and deport all foreign nationals living in Arkansas.
If you truly believe that illegal immigration is a major problem, if you think that this immigration has caused native-born Arkansans to lose or not get jobs, if these undocumented residents have placed a huge strain on Arkansas education, health care and social services, if these people are responsible for violent crimes out of proportion with their actual numbers – you absolutely have a duty on behalf of Arkansas’ 3 million other residents to demand their immediate removal.
Our bet is: You won’t. You recognize that immigration is an issue that your party uses to divide Americans against themselves. You may in fact believe that all of the anti-immigrant statements above are true but even if you do, you still won’t beg the president for their removal. Why? Because you recognize that these 55,000-80,000 people (and they are people, not “illegals”) provide value in the work and services they provide, the purchases they make, and the taxes that they pay.
All the same, we dare you. We double-dog dare you. Either have these people removed, or work with people of good will to find the best way to integrate immigrants – properly documented or not — into Arkansas life. You, Gov. Sanders, will be remembered by the path you choose.
Mike McNeill is publisher and editor of magnoliareporter.com. Email him at news@magnoliareporter.com. or call him at 870-904-3865. Opinions expressed in this column are his own. This editorial was originally published at magnoliareporter.com and is republished here with permission.