I Shit You Not

 “Why are we having all these people from s---hole countries come here?” This is a quote of our esteemed, honorable President, Donald J. Trump.  This is another sterling example of the statesmanship and leadership in which he engages.  The president was referring to people from Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and African countries in the temporary protected status program.  The following are the countries included in the program:  El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria & Yemen.  So that you may place these comments into a context I will share what the Temporary Protected Status Program (TPS) is and its aims.      

     The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country's nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately.   The Secretary may designate a country for TPS due to the following temporary conditions in the country:Ongoing armed conflict (such as civil war), An environmental disaster (such as earthquake or hurricane), or an epidemic, Other extraordinary and temporary conditions.     The purpose of the TPS is to provide humanitarian relief.  It does not exist to provide a right to citizenship.  It does allow one to work and pay taxes.  In 2016 there were approximately 153,000 benefactors of this program.  

     He followed this with suggesting that instead, the U.S. should allow more entrants from countries like Norway.  This may be hard to fathom, but Norway does not have any citizens who need to immigrate based on a need for humanitarian relief.  In fact, in 2016 there were only 362 U.S. immigrants with Norwegian citizenship.

     Immigrants from developed countries with industrial capabilities and fully functioning governments are not going to be using TPS.  What they will use is the EB-1/-2/-3/-4/-5 workers visa program.  If one believes immigrants are taking away jobs from Americans, this is the program you should be worried about.  TPS beneficiaries may gain employment.  EB visa holders are brought into the country exclusively to work.  There are approximately 140,000 EB visas issued annually.  There are EB visas issued to citizens of the listed shithole countries.  Is it possible for there to be shithole country citizens who are welcome in the U.S.?

     “Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people,” said Raj Shah, the principal deputy White House press secretary.      Nobody is fighting FOR any countries.  Some are actually attempting to provide humanitarian aid to those who are hungry, suffering, oppressed, and war weary.  Not every difference in opinion has to be framed as a fight or "war on" or "epidemic", although such rhetoric is prevalent whenever a party desires to make another feel threatened and enlist the other in their cause as if they have a shared enemy.  This strategy has been employed through the centuries and across all borders.  It has been employed as a propaganda tool by democracies, monarchies, and tyrants.

     Also, can a country be a shithole without being a part of the TPS program, or is that the sole qualification?  Furthermore, is this really the type of speech in which you wish to engage in order to facilitate the conduct of foreign affairs?  The countries you refer to as shitholes today are the recipients of aid from and allies to your actual global enemies and competition tomorrow.

     If you are actually curious as to why some of the countries on the TPS are in the state they are you may want to refer 20th century history, especially with reference to U.S. military interventions and U.S. imposed market and economic policies.  

     Whaduyathink?