Students Bash Trump's Border Patrol Decision, Silenced After Learning Obama Did the Same Thing
In 2010, President Barack Obama ordered Operation Phalanx, sending 1,200 National Guard troops to the southern border. Around 17,887 illegal immigrants were apprehended in the first 11 months of the operation, according to CNN.
On April 4, President Donald Trump ordered a similar operation, signing a proclamation to send National Guard troops to the southern border to help stymie the flow of illegal immigrants, as well as stop drug smuggling, human trafficking and other crimes at the border.
“We’re going to do some things militarily,” the president said. “Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military.”
Cabot Phillips with Campus Reform, an American conservative news website on higher education, spoke with students at UC Santa Barbara to get their reactions to President Trump’s order.
“President Trump recently announced he’s going to be sending a few thousand troops down to the border to try and secure the influx of people coming across illegally,” Phillips explained to various students around campus.
“Do you support sending troops down to the border?” he asked
“I feel like it’s not justified, mostly because it’s a totally uncalled for act of power,” one student replied.
“It just puts a bad light on America,” said another.
“Not productive,” one young woman told Phillips. “I’m not a huge fan of the military to begin with. We’re spending way too much money on that.”
After overwhelmingly negative feedback on Trump’s decision, Phillips asked the same students if they approved of Obama’s move to send troops in 2010.
“Did you approve when President Obama did the exact same thing when he was president?” he asked.
One student replied with stunned silence, before responding, “I don’t know anything about that. So the difference is definitely with publicity and false information.”
“Honestly I’m not super up to date with politics. I didn’t know that,” one girl said.
“I guess I would have to read up more about the intentions behind Trump’s vs. the intentions behind Obama’s,” another student replied.
One student went against the grain.
“I think it’s a positive move. It has precedent — Obama did the same thing back in I think it was 2012. So, I think there’s nothing unconstitutional about it.”
“The state governments need to make sure they’re not acting in opposition to the federal government,” he added.
See the full interview below:
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