Defending the Borders—Including the Western Border—of the United States

A Border Patrol truck sits next to the Rio Grande with Mexico on the right, across the river, from the Camino Real international bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 19, 2022. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

Commentary

For almost four centuries, Western political thought has identified the security of its peoples as the foremost responsibility of government. This tenet is a foundation of America’s founding and the country’s institutions and political principles, norms, and traditions. Security begins at the border, and if that is eroded, the government has failed its citizenry.

The US Government’s Responsibility Is to Defend Its Borders

A central argument of Thomas Hobbes’ 1651 work, “Leviathan,” was that the state must protect its citizens. Indeed, that was the point of entering into a commonwealth where individuals provided their loyalty in return for the respect of their rights and their security.