As the nation prepares for possible military conflict — if not war — with Russia over Ukraine, many Americans are wondering why they should even care about the Eastern European nation’s territorial affairs. On Tuesday, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer answered that question by positing that Ukraine matters because it is a fundamental principle of the international order that borders are to be protected and sovereignty should be respected. As many pointed out, that response belies the fact that the Biden administration has all but decimated the United States southern border, as a record number of illegal aliens continue to pour in from around the world through Mexico each month.
On CNN’s “New Day,” host Jon Berman asked Finer a series of questions about Ukraine and what the future holds for the U.S. military. Finer expressed the Biden administration’s readiness to deploy the 8,500 U.S. troops, but only if an agreement is made amongst NATO allies and Ukraine that their presence would be necessary. Finer even said it was a possible option those troops would be sent before Russia made a military move.
Then, Berman asked, “Why should Americans care about what’s happening in Ukraine?”
“Because it goes to a very fundamental principle of all nations, which is that our borders should be inviolate, that our sovereignty should be respected,” Finer responded.
“If the international system is to mean anything, it means no country can change another country’s borders or affect another country’s government by force” he added. “But Russia, by amassing all these troops on Ukraine’s border is calling into question those very basic principles.”
But a Tuesday column from the New York Post indicated that the Biden team’s supposedly staunch belief in the dignity and necessity of secure borders falls flat when it comes to the U.S.-Mexico Border.
In an editorial titled, “Biden Sets Yet Another Record At The Southern Non-Border,” the Post’s editors put into perspective what the deluge of illegal aliens coming into the country really looks like:
A Customs and Border Protection reports 178,840 illegal migrants apprehended, beating the worst previous December by over 100,000.
Biden breaks records every month, with apprehensions on track to reach 2 million in his first full year. You can see why they keep coming: The Border Patrol estimates that hundreds of thousands more pass through without interception, while the administration releases most of those it does catch, even quietly resettling migrants all across the country.
Despite those violations of U.S. sovereignty, for some reason, the Biden team is more concerned with our European allies’ borders. On CNN, Finer even said that the European crisis was not only about Ukraine but in protecting our allies who are on the opposite side of Ukraine. Those countries deserve border security from the U.S. as well, Finer argued:
They’re also, from the perspective of the United States and our allies, unsettling our allies, Ukraine is on the border of several NATO allies, as is Belarus where Russia is flowing troops. And our alliance commitments are sacred. The president has made that clear. And so we will be also posturing ourselves to reassure those allies should Russia choose to test that.
The Biden team is not necessarily wrong in their notion that secure borders are a basic principle, but folks like the Heritage Foundation’s Kevin Roberts asked why the commander-in-chief wouldn’t start by caring about America’s border first.
“Biden’s deputy national security adviser (talking about Ukraine) just said ‘borders should be inviolate’ and ‘sovereignty should be respected,” he tweeted. “I agree—let’s start with our southern border, which Biden has thrown wide open.”
Biden's deputy national security adviser (talking about Ukraine) just said “borders should be inviolate” and “sovereignty should be respected.”
I agree—let’s start with our southern border, which Biden has thrown wide open. pic.twitter.com/CklZhpiBnc
— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) January 25, 2022