Now it's off again. If all goes the way the American people seem to prefer, it'll stay off.
The on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again cash payments to illegal immigrants who were separated from family members as they tried to (illegally) cross into this country have been supposedly, perhaps, reportedly nixed. That's according to the papers late in the week.
The White House seems educable.
The Wall Street Journal first broke the story early in the fall: The United States government--that is, the Joe Biden administration--was negotiating on paying those illegals who had kids separated from their parents during the Trump years. So far, so not outrageous. But you-know-who lives in the details.
The Journal reported that lawyers were close on a deal that would give each offended illegal alien $450,000, which is more than many good Americans have tied up in their houses and retirement funds--combined.
And if Mama and Papa and little Joe all got $450,000 each, what a lottery for those who were breaking the law to get here. The reaction from the public was swift. And it was so aghast that the president had to chide a reporter for even asking a question about the payments, calling the story "garbage."
But the story wasn't garbage. Those doing the negotiating on behalf of the illegal border-crossers told the papers that they thought the president just wasn't informed about the negotiations, which the American people also believed.
After the story made the national headlines, "talks grew strained," The Washington Post reports. We don't doubt it. That tends to happen when the people find out what Uncle Sucker is doing behind the scenes--with their money--and begin lodging complaints.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other lawyers confirmed to the press this past Thursday afternoon that talks had broken down and they'd have to take their complaints to court.
"It is official," said the Litigation Director for the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project. "The Biden administration has broken its promise to the American public that came out in droves protesting family separation and most importantly, has broken its promise to families separated at the border." Spoken like a true litigation director.
Promises, promises. We follow the news pretty closely during election season, and we don't remember Joe Biden promising to make payments to those separated at the border. He didn't like the Trump policy--what person with a heart did?--and vowed to change it, but $450,000 never made it into the news columns.
As far as promises made to families separated at the border, that's a whole 'nuther subject. Such stories about millions of dollars to be paid out to illegal immigrants certainly helps to encourage more of them to head to El Norte. Imagine making $100 a month at your job in Guatemala and learning that the United States was negotiating $450,000 payments. Would that provide motivation to trek north?
According to The Washington Post, "Lawyers said the Justice Department did not give a clear reason for walking away from the negotiations."
Here's a clear reason: Because the American public was furious.
Taking children away from parents at the border sounds like a strange policy to begin with. We are reminded of the official on the West Coast during one of the many waves of immigrants that came to the promised land from points East.
After arriving on a slow boat from China, a woman showed her papers to a young immigration official. Her papers were indeed in order, but she had had a baby on the journey. He wired his bosses in Washington. How handle this situation? Should he send her back with the baby? Should he let her in, but send the baby back? What to do? Please advise.
His bosses wired back: Don't be a damfool.
That's good policy for everybody, including current government administrations. But officials can end a bad policy without replacing it by a worse one. That $450,000 idea was damfool.