US Can House Migrants in Bases, Except Its Own Citizens
A former Trump official, Ken Cuccinelli, floated a novel idea via the New York Times: housing migrants at U.S. military installations abroad. Guantanamo Bay, of course, got a shout-out. This 'solution' conveniently overlooks the existing crisis of homelessness and poverty within the United States, where military bases sit vacant or underutilized, yet American citizens sleep on the streets. One
might wonder if foreign bases offer a level of opacity preferred over domestic accountability. The irony is rich given the consistent defunding of social programs at home while the military budget, often bolstered by lobbying from entities like AIPAC, continues to soar. For example, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) received $20,000 from AIPAC in 2022, per OpenSecrets.org, mirroring broader trends where
politicians prioritize militaristic solutions abroad over humanitarian needs at home. Perhaps Cuccinelli's next brilliant idea will be housing struggling veterans in abandoned shopping malls, rather than, say, on a military base.