Chapter 15: Only the Strong Survive

Sometime in Michael’s past, supposedly smart and knowledgeable politicians had decreed and built a wall across the southern border of the United States to keep out unwanted immigrants. Michael thought from the start that it was much like trying to plug a pussy with a ring. As long as the reward was viewed as attractive enough, folks were going to keep trying until they succeeded. Now it wasn’t just reward - it was survival in its rawest form.

A two-thousand mile border fence sucked up a lot of resources, and the politicians had clearly failed to learn from such events as the Mariel Boatlift, refugees crossing the Mediterranean to escape mid-east genocide, and drug lords smuggling people as well as drugs. The resources to patrol many multiple thousands of miles of US coastline were severely reduced in order to staff and fund the two thousand miles of fence.

Pre-Swarm, he thought this meant the most desirable, educated, and especially law-abiding, immigration wannabes were severely restricted when compared to the desperate people whose first contact with the USA was to break a law. Now, with the Sa’arm presence, truly desperate people breached the borders in almost every possible way. Refugees even smuggled themselves into Canada and risked crossing the border near the Swarm’s presence in hopes of avoiding capture. The Sa’arm killed many of these, even more were unintentional victims of the napalming designed to slow the advancing Swarm.

Yet, politicians protecting their reelection prospects, continued to cling to old, emotionally based policies, diverting resources needed to fight the Sa’arm and alienating whole populations of potential allies.

Thinking that these illegal immigrants might prove to be a resource - on several fronts - Michael called a powwow with Sam and Randy. The powwow, of course, expanded to the usual cast.

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Michael started, “the politicians and the good ole boys don’t want these folks, and I’m not real thrilled that they broke the law to get here. BUT, big chunks of them are exactly what I’m looking for: Kids making it through college in spite of the odds against them. Persistent tryers who failed and kept trying. Those who risked it all for their families.”

“Randy, that’s the first part of what I want to do,” Michael turned to his still boss and future security head. “Partner up with Immigration and see if the INS will give you a heads up when they find illegals, then make sure they have or get a CAP score, and we’ll offer extraction to those that fit our needs. We’ll offer the students extraction and with a parent’s okay, the opportunity to take younger siblings with them as dependents. Because they will be leaving the country voluntarily, everyone should be happy. At any of these extractions, offer extraction to US citizens that are present and qualify.”

He turned to Sam, “If you make sure that Randy has a current list of various colony needs, Randy can route them to your pool. Now that Lolli has enough crew and space, I plan to finish loading all our current colonists and then transfer any of our new extractions directly aboard right from the pickup point.”