Human Trafficking, Sexual Assaults Key Aspects of Crisis on Southern Border

''Rep. Crenshaw and a Texas sheriff explain the challenges their state faces from an unsecured border, and why a wall is needed''

he words “humanitarian crisis” are constantly being used on both sides of the aisle during negotiations over border security and the government shutdown. President Donald Trump says a humanitarian crisis exists due to a weak southern border, while congressional Democrat leaders have said the crisis is manufactured.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said the sheer number of people crossing the southwest border illegally—most of whom are families and children hoping to seek asylum—constitute a humanitarian crisis. In fiscal 2018, almost 400,000 people were apprehended by Border Patrol after illegally crossing the border. “So it [asylum] has created a draw. And so when that happens, you have dead bodies all throughout the southern border. It’s really sad to see this. Not only that, but you have a third of the women being sexually assaulted,” Crenshaw told The Epoch Times.

Two-thirds of migrants traveling through Mexico report experiencing violence during their journey, including abduction, theft, extortion, torture, and rape, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has been providing medical and mental health care for migrants and refugees in Mexico since 2012. Almost 1 in 3 women surveyed by MSF said they had been sexually abused during their journey—60 percent through rape.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said last year that his agency’s intelligence and interviews put the numbers even higher. “That scale represents a humanitarian crisis, in my humble opinion,” Crenshaw said. “But whether you call it humanitarian crisis or not … it’s just completely unsustainable.” Crenshaw said the volume of illegal immigration is unsustainable particularly for Border Patrol, the U.S. education system, and emergency rooms. He said the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in Houston spends 25 percent of its funding on illegal immigrant health care. “That means every dollar does not go to a native-born citizen who is low-income. So that’s what we’re dealing with. It’s not a sustainable situation,” he said. Crenshaw said a mixed solution is needed to alleviate the crisis, but a border wall is necessary. “We’re asking for about 234 miles of border wall. It’s extremely effective. And I know this from being somebody in the military—when we need to get places, barriers matter. They’re not easy to climb over. They’re not easy to dig under. They’re a mitigating factor, they’re a huge mitigating factor.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/human-trafficking-sexual-assaults-key-aspects-of-crisis-on-southern-border_2765383.html

After Veteran’s Flag Was Burned, Trump Family Sends Replacement—And More

The family of President Donald Trump sent a military veteran and Trump supporter a replacement flag after two hooligans burned the one he was flying. Gus Klein of Burlington, Vermont, woke up one day in November to find that his “Trump 2020” flag had been removed from his flagpole and partially burned. After the incident, Klein said that type of harassment isn’t right, but that it wouldn’t stop him from supporting Trump.

“There is fear in my mind and it’s not right. I should be able to come and go as I want, and we should be able to sleep at night in our own property, so there is fear,” Klein told WCAX. “It’s not going to stop me for believing in who, and campaigning for who I believe is right for the United States,” he added.

Several weeks later, two teenagers who weren’t identified due to being juveniles (14 and 15 years old respectively) were arrested on suspicion of burning Klein’s flag, the Burlington Police Department said. The parents of the teens helped in the investigation that led to the apprehensions; the teens were sent to an alternative justice program due to their age. Klein said he welcomed the news but also reiterated to the Burlington Free Press that he’s open to talking about his views to anyone who knocks on his door, despite getting death threats from some people over his support for Trump.

Shortly after the news broke of the flag burning, Trump’s son Eric Trump posted about the story on Twitter and said the family was sending Klein a replacement flag for free. That flag ended up not arriving but after Klein called the Trump campaign headquarters, he found a package at his door the next day. In addition to a new “Trump 2020” flag, it contained other flags, shirts, bumper stickers, and a “Make America Great Again” hat signed by President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

“This is going to be like a family heirloom,” Klein told WCAX. He said that he’s received phone calls from people threatening to kill him and that someone ripped off his Trump bumper sticker when he was parked in Richmond. But his wife, Ann-Marie Klein, said that the couple hopes people can respect their political views, even if they don’t agree with them. “I still have faith in people and Vermonters letting us fly our flag freely without any issues or problems,” Ann-Marie Klein said.

"We have the right to raise our flag and support the candidate of our choice," Gus Klein said. "And we should be able to do that without intimidation." https://t.co/4POwyfEJV8 — BurlingtonFreePress (@bfp_news) January 12, 2019

https://www.theepochtimes.com/after-veterans-flag-was-burned-trump-family-sends-replacement-and-more_2765995.html

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