For those unfamiliar with the acronym, NIMBY stands for “not in my back yard” – a term ascribed to people who support intrusive policies as long as they do not impact them – like the location of a nuclear waste site. NIMBY is now being seen in places like Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Martha’s Vineyard.
It seems that governors who have been dealing with the influx of MILLIONS of illegal border crossers – and the horrendous impact on the welfare and police resources of scores of border communities –are shipping a small number of migrants to cities that have expressed in words and law their love for those crossing the Rio Grande on a daily basis – even crossing illegally.
The United States is facing a border crisis of unprecedented proportions – worse than ever thanks to President Biden’s open borders policies. Among the of border-crossers from more than two dozen nations around the globe are thousands of criminals, gangbangers, and drug cartellians – and tons of eliciting narcotics killing Americans by the thousands.
Yet, the Biden administration – the President, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Director of Homeland Security – all say that the border is “NOT OPEN.”
There is a nuance that gets lost in the partisan chatter. Because the United States allows people entering the country to claim political asylum, Democrats say that those pouring over the border like a stampeding herd are … legal. They ignore the millions of “got aways” – who escape the border patrol and disappear – and those who never show up for their asylum hearings. They also ignore the fact that many of those crossing the border are not eligible for asylum. Democrats simply ignore the laws that cover asylum.
The millions who fail to appear in court to have their asylum requests adjudicated convert from migrant asylum seekers to … illegal aliens. Currently, there are tens of millions living in the United States who are here illegally.
While the border states – and all those small communities along the border – are struggling with an unmanageable number of individuals arriving in their communities – and the rash of crimes committed by the bad dudes among the throng — the northern Democrat leaders are arguing for open borders. They are creating sanctuary cities, calling for the termination of arrests and the defunding of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They order sheriffs to not cooperate with ICE and refuse to prosecute illegal aliens — even for certain crimes. Democrats proclaim their allegiance to those crossing the border by any means and for any reason. They ignore the rule-of-law.
Weeell … what happens when a handful of those border crossers show up in THEIR community? And keep in mind that those showing up in Chicago, Washington, New York … and Martha’s Vineyard are among those who have been vaccinated (allegedly) and vetted (somewhat) – and have their instructions to register with the courts and appear when called. These are folks who are currently considered LEGAL asylum seekers.
The municipalities that are receiving these very few people must be overjoyed. They must be rolling out the old Welcome Wagon – greetings by city officials.
But nooo. What we see is state-of-the-art hypocrisy.
It seems that Texas Governor Greg Abbott decided to grant the politicians in those Democrat cities what they wanted. When he bussed a couple hundred to New York City – with a population of 8.8 million, Mayor Eric Adams went bonkers. He seemed to forget the message in his own harbor – the pleading of Lady Liberty to “Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Apparently, Adams has locked that “golden door.”
How can New York deal with this sudden influx of people? Adams laments. It will overtax the government’s human services and law enforcement agencies. The same sad refrain came from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Speaking of Washington, that is the temporary home of Kamala Harris – who is the person Biden put in charge of … immigration policy. Well, it seems a couple of bus loads of migrants were dropped off at her front door – the Massachusetts Avenue official residence of the Vice President. But not for long. Officials shuffled them off quickly.
That was described as a “stunt” – and in this case, perhaps it was. But it was a very funny and telling stunt. One can only wonder if Harris invited them in for tea – or even went out to greet them. Of course not.
One plane load of less than 50 individuals flew from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts courtesy of planes provided by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. That brought local officials complaining that Martha’s Vineyard is a “rich and expensive” community into which these poor souls would have difficulty assimilating. (Did they forget their need for house servants and landscapers?)
We all know that Martha’s Vineyard is the backyard of the rich and famous – no place for the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of [the] teeming shore.” At least not if that “teeming shore” is the edge of the Rio Grande River.
To the left-leaning news media, sending even this small number of migrants to Democrat cities is outrageous. (Hmmm. What was the media reaction to all those government night flights dropping off thousands of migrants unannounced in smaller communities around the country – many of whom were not vaccinated or vetted? The answer is … crickets.)
Since there is no legitimate justification for the outrageous response of folks like Adams, Lightfoot, Bowser, and Harris, the left makes up a fairy-tale narrative. They misrepresent the facts. They do not tell the truth. They lie.
CNN’s smarmy and arrogant John Avlon described the bus and plane trips as “political stunts.” Abbott and DeSantis were only trying to win points with the MAGA base, (It is always about the MAGA base.)
One of MSNBC’s more extreme propagandists, Nicole Wallace, called the passengers “human cargo” and said it was nothing less than “human trafficking.” She lamented putting children on a “long flight.” That is nothing less than unhinged hyperbole atop unfettered hypocrisy atop unmitigated gall.
Those terms were picked up by the folks on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” California Governor Gavin Newsom even called for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to be charged with kidnapping.
Ironically, it was also a CNN reporter who had interviewed the travelers prior to their departure. She noted that they eagerly volunteered to move on to other locations. They were happy campers. I am even willing to bet that the children were thrilled with what for many was their first experience in an airplane.
Caution: Sit down for this one. Ready? These mayors complained about the burden this would put on their local taxpayers. You cannot make up this stuff. Forget the crushing burden put on the taxpayers, the social services, and the law enforcement agencies along the border. They do not care because … it is not in their backyard.
To put it bluntly, what we have in Adams, Lightfoot, Bowser, Harris, Newsom and the folks in Martha’s Vineyard are a bunch of f***ing racist elitist hypocrites – along with a lot of other folks I saw on the telly. (Whew! Got that off my chest.)
So, there ‘tis.