Senior Program Associate of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation
Position:
Con "militarizing the border"
to the question "What are the solutions to illegal immigration in America?"
Reasoning:
"...the heart of President Bush's effort is the Secure Border Initiative. As with so many other pressing issues - from terrorism to oil dependency - the White House is turning to the military-industrial complex for a solution. The initiative is the Department of Homeland Security's plan to erect a 'virtual fence' of monitors, sensors, unmanned planes and communications to help border agents catch illegal immigrants crossing the southern border... To put military contractors, particularly Boeing, in charge of building the Secure Border Initiative is a recipe for disaster. But the issue of militarizing the border goes beyond questions of accountability. To craft truly effective, humane and 'comprehensive' immigration reform, the president will have to do a lot more than show up once in a while. He has to learn that the border is not a war zone, Mexicans are not combatants, and military contractors are not the solution."
"President Bush Needs to Treat the U.S.-Mexico Border As a Line Between Two Neighbors, Not a War Zone," The Albuquerque Tribune, Apr. 25, 2007
Organizations/VIPs/Others
Individuals and organizations that do not fit into the other star categories.
Involvement and Affiliations:
Senior Program Associate of the Arms and Security Initiative, New America Foundation, 2007 - present
Deputy Director and Senior Research Associate, World Policy Institute, The New School, New York, 1999 - 2007
Member of the National Committee of the War Resisters League
Contributor, Jonah House Community in Baltimore, www.jonahhouse.org
Writer, The Nation, In These Times, The Providence Journal, The Hartford Courant, The Duluth News Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Nonviolent Activist, and Peaceworks
Organizations/VIPs/Others