Astronuc said:
I dunno, Astro, think i'd vet Obama and CNN on that one.
From the CNN piece
It is, of course, very difficult to check the total number of people who have tried to cross the border in any given year. The number of apprehensions gives us a good idea, but it also assumes that border patrol's resources and effectiveness have remained somewhat constant over the years. There is also no way to know how many people crossing the border illegally eluded arrest or how aggressive Border Patrol agents are with apprehensions at any given time.
Inappropriate source deleted by moderator. Not a mainstream source.
Edit-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>Okay then , how about this source ?<<<<
The article deleted by moderator related a statement made by Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol council, which is the Border Patrol Agents' Union
to the effect they are ordered to stand down ,
so to use rate of apprehensions as a statistic is disingenuous.
Here is part of his March testimony before the Subcommittee on National Security
You can read the whole thing at
https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2016-03-23-Judd-Testimony-NBPC.pdf
So - Which news sources are to be believed ?
Information flows like water from a spring,
it is collected and distributed to myriad agencies for processing, analysis, and release to public
and passes through a lot of hands on its way to us.
So, i always look information from the field folks closest to the source, like Border Patrol agents, for it's been through the fewest hands.
Like the old cowboy says,
"Always drink upstream from the herd."
I deem that CNN article propaganda, deceit with intent, and believe the poor reporter did as he was ordered but put his caveat (what i bolded) in there to salvage some sense of integrity..
That's my opinion on what news sources to believe.
Next - Which politicians to believe?
Here's a narrative by different politician. Pick whomever you think is closer to the source.
End Edit -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/114-60_98487.pdf
Mr. GOWDY
. The gentlelady yields back. The Chair will now recognize the gentleman from Virginia. The Chairman of the full Committee, Mr. Goodlatte.
Chairman GOODLATTE
. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Record numbers of unaccompanied alien minors and adults traveling with minors are again surging across our southern border, overwhelming Federal and state resources, creating a border security nightmare,
and ensuring record profits for the criminal organizations that control the drug and human smuggling and trafficking business along
the border. More than 152,000 unaccompanied minors and families are projected to illegally cross our southwest border this year.
Some estimates project the number to top 177,000, the population of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This would surpass the previous high
mark in 2014 by nearly 30 percent. These minors, more than two-thirds of whom are between the
ages of 15 to 17, travel thousands of miles from Central America through dangerous desert areas controlled by Mexican drug cartels,
and arrive at our southern border with tried and tested instructions from the smugglers leading them. ‘‘Find the first Border Patrol agent and claim asylum.’’ This narrative is repeated thousands of times over, and there is little doubt that with every successful entry and reunification, it encourages thousands more to illegally
enter and further degrades our border security. We saw a similar surge of mass illegal immigration by unaccompanied minors and adults from Central America in 2014. Tragically, many were killed, assaulted, kidnapped, and extorted during their journey by the criminal elements that operate with impunity
south of our border. This surge will undoubtedly produce similar victims.
Despite these tragic consequences of non-enforcement, there are no lessons learned by this Administration.
A leaked DHS intelligence report shows the Obama administration’s lax immigration policies are fueling this current surge. During July through September 2015, customs and border protections agents interviewed 345 family units apprehended at the border. Nearly 70 percent said they had heard that if they came to the United States, they would be released, or receive some sort of immigration relief, such as asylum. Additionally, nearly 60 percent said it was the U.S. immigration policies that influenced their decision to come here. The unresponsiveness by President Obama to this clearly foreseeable crisis is truly shocking.
His instructions to Federal law enforcement agencies? Standdown. In some Border Patrol sectors, agents report that they are
not allowed to initiate removal proceedings against criminal aliens who do not have a felony conviction. Aliens convicted of misdemeanors, and those who have pending felony charges, get a free pass. Agents also report that they are not authorized to initiate removal proceedings against adult aliens after apprehension at the
border if no detention space is available. This is outrageous. Such aliens are supposedly the Obama administration’s number one priority for removal. And such a policy is a beacon call for foreign nationals to cross our border undetected, including those who would do us harm.
When you give up apprehending, the rate of apprehensions goes down.
"
Lies, damned lies, and statistics" is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of
statistics to bolster weak
arguments. It is also sometimes colloquially used to doubt statistics used to prove an opponent's point.
The term was popularised in United States by
Mark Twain (among others), who attributed it to the British Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." However, the phrase is not found in any of Disraeli's works and the earliest known appearances were years after his death. Several other people have been listed as originators of the quote, and it is often erroneously attributed to Twain himself.
[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics