If you were looking for another reason to not support Ben Carson, the 2016 Republican presidential candidate, look no further.
Unfortunately, he has jumped on the same immigration train as his competitor, Donald Trump. Carson is ready to put the border on lockdown, “I’m suggesting we do what we need to do to secure the border, whatever that is.” He said this not long after Trump announced his presidency, ensuring the American people that he would build a “great, great” wall along the southern border.
Trump is polling first in the GOP presidential race, and it’s arguably attributable to his extremely blunt immigrant related stances. Carson is beginning to make it well-known that generally speaking, he aligns with Trump regarding immigration reform.
This is unsettling for numerous reasons.
The more candidates aligning with Donald Trump on immigration creates more of a chance of having someone with outrageous immigration views elected as president.
Trump and Carson’s stance on immigration, itself, is disturbing. Both candidates are in favor of a policy supporting mass deportation. Trump’s official campaign website says, “a nation without borders is not a nation. There must be a wall across the southern border.” Carson favors using drones to turn the southern border into a war zone, “There are caves that they utilize. Those caves can be eliminated.”
America is supposed to be a melting pot, the country where everyone is welcomed.
In past centuries, millions of immigrants traveled through Ellis Island with the hope of living the American dream.
As immigrants approached New York City, the plaque attached to the Statue of Liberty read “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The plaque should still hold the same inviting message as it did before.
It’s already hard to accept Trump’s immigration views, but it’s even more disturbing to see Carson take this stance over any other candidates.
The 14th Amendment was ratified in the 1800s and grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States — it was designed to grant citizenship to the freed slaves.
After the Civil War ended, the 14th Amendment was the first step to ensuring equality in America. It was put in place to guarantee African-Americans civil rights. To this day, the 14th Amendment remains essential to securing voting rights for all people.
Never should something like an election cause Carson to go against something rooted so deeply in his history.
Carson is too busy trying to keep up in the polls, so he may not realize how puzzling and unsettling his statements are. You can’t trust a candidate who crosses such lines in an attempt to be victorious.
According to a Gallup poll, only two percent of black people identify as Republican. Maybe because he thinks he is more likely to gain support than lose it he could take such a stance. He doesn’t appear to understand it’s hard to respect a man that doesn’t stand true to their history, regardless of political affiliation.
He is taking a big gamble. He may, like Trump, gain some supporters because of his stance or he could very well lose some when people realize how insane he is for holding such odd views.
It’s time for Carson to take a logical stance, instead of hopping on the bandwagon of his fellow GOP candidates.
Clarke Perkins is a 19-year-old political science sophomore from New Orleans. You can reach her on Twitter @ClarkePerkins.