Politics & Power Quote by Ric Keller

“Finally” is doing a lot of political work here: it signals not just a policy preference but a closing argument, the tidy wrap-up that implies the debate has run its course and only action remains. Keller’s line is built as a paradox that’s meant to feel like common sense. He concedes an eye-catching fact - Congress “tripled” Border Patrol staffing since the late 1980s - then immediately treats it as insufficient. The structure trains the listener to accept escalation as the default setting: even dramatic growth becomes proof that we were right to grow, not evidence to evaluate whether the strategy is working.

The subtext is reassurance through force. More agents stands in for competence, control, and seriousness, especially in eras when immigration is framed as crisis rather than governance. By acknowledging the tripling, Keller preempts the obvious critique (“haven’t we already poured resources into this?”) while redirecting it into a demand for still more. It’s a rhetorical move politicians love: admit a complicated reality, then simplify the remedy into a measurable input.

Context matters: the late 1980s onward is when border enforcement ballooned alongside tougher immigration politics, drug-war logic, and later post-9/11 security framing. Keller’s claim taps that lineage, implying that enforcement is the responsible baseline and anything less is negligence. Notice what’s missing: outcomes. No mention of deterrence effects, migration drivers, humanitarian costs, or tradeoffs with visas, courts, or asylum processing. The intent isn’t to solve immigration; it’s to anchor the conversation in a muscular, vote-legible symbol of order.