The border crisis is a "humanitarian tragedy," not an existential threat, writes The New York Times editorial board. In a strongly-worded weekend editorial, the Times accuses Republicans of "throwing up roadblocks" to a possible solution, and of using the crisis to score callous political points.
Republicans are feeding the cycle, stoking panic about a border under assault, even to the point of demanding that Mr. Obama call out the National Guard. Nativist protesters are blocking buses of migrants in places like Murrieta, Calif. Homegrown militias are issuing calls to arms. Illegal border crossings, meanwhile, are still lower than they have been in years. The besieged border is a myth, and the arrival of a few thousand weary refugee children on buses does not make the myth true. [The New York Times]
President Obama last week requested $3.7 billion in emergency funds to address the surge of young Central American migrants along the Mexican border. Yet despite the GOP's demands that the president address the issue, the top House Republican in charge of federal spending, Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), suggested on Friday the party would not approve the request because it was "too much" money.
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