TheBlaze’s Dana Loesch joined Glenn and Mercury One in McAllen, Texas on Saturday to distribute food, clothing, and other necessities to the people and organizations in need. On radio this morning, Dana joined Glenn to discuss the backlash she has faced for drawing the distinction, like Glenn, between the border crisis and humanitarian crisis and why she refuses to back down.
Much like Glenn, Dana has been criticized for the position she has taken on the immigration crisis. In an article published Monday on AmericanThinker.com, she is accused of being “out of touch with the very people and issues she purports to champion.” As Dana explained, those being critical of the Mercury One relief efforts are “missing the entire point.”
“The people who are being overly critical are reactionary. In their effort to be expedient with their reaction, they are missing the entire point,” Dana said. “[W]hat they didn't get is all these people have been volunteering their time, been on the frontline, doing it privately. The president just a week ago said he wants to pass a $3.7 billion fund to do and spend our tax dollars on what these people and Mercury One are already doing.”
“You could be hardcore against amnesty, but the government will not allow the people to be deported,” she continued. “In the meantime, this is the choice… It is either public money, tax dollars, and we bankrupt border towns. Or it's private charity. These people are on the side of government – that's not conservative.”
As Glenn explained earlier in the radio program, the ‘care’ being offered at the FEMA detention centers along the border is subpar at best. After meeting with Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, Glenn realized it is the private charities, not the government, that is offering the vital medical treatment and nutrition for these people.
“You were with me when Sister Norma, who I don't agree with politically, but I thought she was a really compassionate and great woman,” Glenn said. “And she said, you know, ‘Some of these women are coming in here after a week in detention, and they are still dehydrated.’ They have had to put them on IV bags and try to get their systems back in order, before they get back on the bus… The government is not doing that. Private charity should be doing that.”
“You made the point… [the government is] doing a horrible job because they are arriving at these centers already super-dehydrated,” Dana responded. “That's what happens when government tries to be charitable.”
Ultimately, Dana does not believe there is any merit to the argument that offering food and basic necessities to those who have already entered the U.S. illegally is going to encourage similar behavior. Instead, it is the government’s lack of law enforcement that is enabling these individuals to continue to risk their lives and cross the border.
“For those people saying, ‘Well, going down there and giving someone a sandwich is a welcome wagon,’ no,” Dana concluded. “Let's take two steps back here. The welcoming party is this Administration creating this problem. The welcoming party is [Rep.] Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) going to the border and saying she's for amnesty. The welcoming party is Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), who said last week he doesn't believe in borders. If people want to have frustration, I'm mad too… but… sandwiches didn't cause the problem. It's the false beacon of amnesty that caused the problem.”
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