The Crisis on our Southern Border Continues to Worsen
The immigration crisis on our southern border continues to worsen, creating a humanitarian crisis across the country from the spread of fentanyl to human trafficking. Last month, in May, more illegal immigrants were apprehended at our southern border – 239,416 – than ever before. The previous record was set in April of this year. The record set before that? The month before. May marked the third straight record-setting month for the Biden Administration. Unfortunately, Team Biden’s response to these historic numbers is to deny and distract, rather than take real action.
The Biden Administration should return to the practical, commonsense immigration plan of the Trump Administration. Our success was built on three key policies: Building more physical barriers (aka a border wall), Title 42, and the Remain in Mexico agreement. Building a border wall greatly enhanced our ability to keep immigrants from crossing our border illegally. Title 42 afforded us the ability to expel illegal immigrants who posed a health risk to the American people. And our Remain in Mexico agreement kept illegal immigrants on the other side of the border as they made asylum claims and applied for immigration. We knew that by calibrating our legal immigration system to match the demands of our economy, and by utilizing this strategy to effectively counter illegal immigration, all Americans would benefit. We could put an end to illegal immigration, keep our nation safe, and make our economy more productive. We realigned our immigration policy to primarily match the needs of our economy and society.
The Biden Administration has taken a wholly different approach than we did, with disastrous results, as seen in the total arrests made at our southern border: If arrests are higher, that means more illegal immigrants are crossing into our country and being transferred to the interior of our country. In 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, over 2 million – 2 million – arrests were made. The previous record for this number was 1.6 million, way back in 2000. And of course, higher numbers of arrests mean that higher numbers of illegal immigrants are making it through without being arrested. Some statistics claim that for every one that is caught, one is not.
Team Biden is blaming these shocking numbers on climate change. In reality, the crisis is being fueled by the Biden Administration’s own policies. They failed to repeal our Remain in Mexico policy, but have chosen not to enforce it, achieving the same result. They attempted to repeal Title 42 in May, but were ordered to keep it in place by a federal judge. This, too, they have failed to fully implement effectively. Just because the Trump Administration’s policies are still around does not mean that they are being enforced properly.
The only action the Biden Administration seems to be interested in taking is punishing Border Patrol officers. Last September, images were published of Border Patrol agents on horseback escorting and directing illegal immigrants. The images were used to falsely claim that the agents were “whipping” the immigrants. We now know this claim to be false – the officers were simply spinning their reins to direct their horses’ movements. But the Biden Administration, without investigating the photos or speaking to Border Patrol, chose to use the officers as scapegoats. Vice President Harris said the images evoked slavery. President Biden himself said in reference to the officers that “those people will pay.”
This has become Team Biden’s modus operandi. Deny the problem exists; then once it can no longer be denied, either manufacture a distraction by attacking conservatives or find something else to blame. We’ve seen this with inflation, and we’re seeing it now with the immigration crisis. Instead of being accountable to the American people or defending the men and women who protect our borders, Team Biden turned them into scapegoats to distract Americans from their own failures at protecting the sovereignty of our country.
Meanwhile, we are continuing to transport and house this record-breaking number of illegal immigrants in the interior of our nation as they await court dates, turning every state into a border state. These court dates are often months and months away. Who is paying for this? You are - the American taxpayer.
Additionally, record-breaking quantities of drugs, mostly fentanyl, continue to stream across our unprotected border and are killing our children in record numbers.
Illegal immigration is also a smear against those who want to come here legally. While the Administration allows record numbers of illegal immigrants to come across our southern border, they are denying Afghan families who risked their own personal security in assisting the United States on the war on terrorism to immigrate to the United States. Over 90% of their applications are being rejected.
The first year of the Biden Administration already saw the worst year for illegal immigration in history. Halfway through its second year, it certainly looks as if those record-breaking numbers will be easily surpassed. That is why, in both 2022 and 2024, we need to elect leaders who will be serious about securing our southern border, building the wall, and putting in place policies that discourage, not encourage, illegal immigration. It is about protecting our country.