Ronald Reagan stated in 1979 that it was time to stop viewing our closest neighbors as foreigners. However, in 2015, Donald Trump announced his second presidential campaign with a different perspective, stating that immigrants from Mexico were bringing drugs, crime, and rapists. This marked a shift in the Republican Party’s beliefs, as Trump challenged their traditional economic and foreign policies and instead focused on fear of immigrants. While immigration has been seen as a political issue for Democrats, recent events have shown how the GOP’s fixation on immigration has hindered their ability to function. In an attempt to avoid addressing the issue of Ukraine, congressional Republicans insisted on pairing any aid package with new policies to secure the US-Mexico border. However, when President Joe Biden moved towards their demands, Republicans changed their stance and even attempted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. This spectacle has nothing to do with solving problems and has only caused further division within the party. As a result, aid to countries like Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan is now in limbo.
