Futility Farce

   Newcomers to America routinely show up at ICE offices as part of their continuing effort to resolve their residency status, but are met with handcuffs, jailed and deported.
   Neighbors call police to report criminal activity, but instead are questioned about their own immigration status, jailed and deported.
   The federal government announces a severe crackdown on drug abuse, and those caught are imprisoned rather than hospitalized and treated for their health issue.
   It's not hard to figure the results of these severe actions. Newcomers will stop going to immigration offices to resolve their status. This includes young people who were brought here as children and have no connection to another country or its language and culture.
   Neighbors stop calling the cops lest they be deported, so criminals go uncaught and unpunished, and the crime rate rises.
   Prisons are filled with victims of drug abuse who get no treatment for their illness. Meanwhile, there is little effort to control the supply of narcotics infecting America. Instead, the crackdown focuses on the users.
   Economics 101: Without demand, there will be no supply. That principle applies to any product or service, whether it be a ham sandwich at a local diner, Muenster cheese or marijuana, heroin or hamburgers.
   Banning alcohol not only failed to stop Americans from drinking, but it also led to a rise in crime, as suppliers bypassed the law to fill a strong demand.
   
   Drug abuse has become a serious problem in America, but instead of attempting to curtail demand, government efforts are focused more strongly on stopping the supply.
   As a result, policing expenses soar, border walls are built higher, and violence increases. Meanwhile, victims of drug abuse are imprisoned rather than treated.
   Why does this happen? One reason could be that catching the victims is an easier way to fill a quota of arrests.
   At the same time, suppliers go further underground and their prices rise, thus causing more harm to users, who then turn to theft for the cash to feed their habit.
   All things considered, a misplaced emphasis on controlling supply rather than limiting demand means that the neighbors who could help law enforcement deal with drug traffickers and other criminals refuse to offer their help, and remain silent rather than run the risk of being busted themselves on allegations of undocumented residency.
    People who struggle to come to America in search of jobs, opportunity and safety may be lacking in skills and education, but stupid they ain't.