On the Fringes of Democracy: Biden's Failed Border. Part:1
Part 1 of Bidens Failed Border takes an inside look at what went wrong with our southern border and how Bidens policies could have contributed to America's Worsening immigration crisis.
On the Fringes of Democracy is a series of articles shining light on the forces that threaten to tear our nation apart. These forces operate within our media organizations and our institutions. Stemming from left wing ideology that despises the American way of life, these forces have sought to hijack our sources of information to confuse the population and turn people against each other. Be assured, they want nothing less than a revolution that will look similarly to that of the many failed communist states. Throughout this series we will highlight their actions and bring their intentions to light. Share these articles and let us know what you think and what we should report more on. Thank You.
Since the start of the President Biden’s term in office, America’s southern border has been overwhelmed by illegal immigration to an extent that has never been seen before. So much so, that the 3 highest levels of what the U.S Border Patrol calls "Immigrant encounters" have all been set during Bidens term in office. The clear dereliction of duty to enforce the nation’s immigration laws has created a strain on our country’s ability to administer social services and prevent the flow of drugs and criminal elements across our southern border. The so-called sanctuary cities have only added to the devastation that mass illegal immigration has caused. Cities such as Chicago and New York City prided themselves in not cooperating with the federal government to enforce the very laws that would have helped prevent the illegal immigration crisis in the first place. On the other hand, states such as Texas which makes up nearly half of the U.S-border with Mexico, has taken the steps necessary to fill the void left by a federal government that has fallen asleep at the wheel.
A strong border policy does not translate into xenophobia or some sort of hate against immigrants. Various studies and history have shown there are wide ranging benefits in having a system in place that allows immigration. That is, filing the proper paperwork and obtaining permission to lawfully enter the United States. What we’re seeing at the border is an open highway filled with people that are often being exploited by human trafficking rings and drug cartels in an illegal for-profit system. Of course, it is important to understand that many of the people who cross the border illegally are not bad people. They are sons, fathers, wives, and kids who are simply looking to take part in the American dream. A plot that many people and their families in the United States can identify with.
Unfortunately, illegal immigrants are the people who get hurt the most. The expectation that we can provide people with the necessities to live in this country without even knowing many of their names is ludicrous. The stress placed on the various levels of government from illegal immigration is hurting Americans in more ways than one. It’s not fair to the taxpayer who has to foot the bill for the wellbeing of people who aren’t participating in our society on a legal basis.
The makings of a crisis
The democratic leadership in Washington will do anything to pull a political victory from the border crisis. Even if it means advocating for policies that either resemble or go far beyond that of former president Donald Trump. The change in narrative from the current presidential administration is not one of coming to their senses per se. Instead, it shows how hypocritical the left is when it comes to rhetoric surrounding the border, and one that seems was only propagated to sell votes to the Latino and immigrant community.
Biden ran for his first term on a pro-immigration platform amongst other issues. In the 2nd debate against other democrat candidates in 2019 Biden was asked,
If someone is here without documents, and that is his only offense, should that person be deported?
Biden responded with: “That person should not be the focus of deportation. We should fundamentally change the way we deal with things”.
Well in the first 364 days of Bidens presidency he did in fact change the way we dealt with things. One of the first major policies he enacted through executive order was a 100 day stay on deportations of illegal immigrants. Although this policy was quickly struck down by a federal judge, it made it clear that his border policy was not going to be one of strength but one of a half thought out policy. Other policies such increasing the cap of refugee admissions from 15,000 to 125,000 and the elimination of Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy (RMP) are just a few of the examples that can be pointed at to show the failure of Bidens border policy. Unless of course his aim was to increase illegal immigration then I would say he did a fantastic job.
Under president trump the average number of total CBP enforcement actions (Apprehensions) at the southwest border was around 719,566. Under the president Biden the average number of apprehensions between FY 2020 – FY 2023 stood at around 1,761,854, over double that of former president trump. At face value, one would think that Biden is indeed tougher on immigration then trump was. That is simply not the case. The message that was given when Biden removed the policies trump had in place was one of openness and lawlessness at our southern border. The apprehensions are up because there are simply more people trying to cross our border.
So how do we deal with this crisis?
President Biden has done a 180 degree turn on immigration and has called on shutting down the southern border if an immigration deal is passed through congress. According to a statement by President Biden,
“For too long, we all know the border’s been broken. It’s long past time to fix it. That’s why two months ago, I instructed my team to begin negotiations with a bipartisan group of Senators to seriously, and finally, address the border crisis”-President Biden.
What strikes me about this statement is his omission that the border has been broken for a long time. The thing is, we had a well-managed border when trump and Obama was president. Why? Well, most likely because they had policies that put the right to protect our nation at the forefront. Biden goes on to say, “What’s been negotiated would – if passed into law – be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country”.
This is without a doubt a major reversal from the stance he took on the campaign trial leading up to the 2020 election, and it remains to be seen whether his tough rhetoric will translate into tough policy. There are currently negotiations in congress to get an immigration bill passed that will also provide funding for Ukraine and Israel. In reality, what the president wants to pass is funding for national defense, because that is exactly what the immigration crisis is, a matter of national defense.
Below is statistics released by the U.S House Committee on Homeland Security:
Encounters at the Southwest border (SWB) in FY2023 increased over 40% since FY2021, 4% compared to FY2022, and more than 100% compared to FY2019.
Last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a 40% increase compared to September 2021 and 18% compared to September 2022.
Since President Biden took office, there have been 7.5 million encounters nationwide and 6.2 million encounters at the Southwest border, in addition to 1.7 million known gotaways.
In FY2023, 169 individuals whose names appear on the terrorist watchlist were stopped trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry. 18 were apprehended in September alone.
So far in FY2023, CBP has arrested 35,433 aliens with criminal convictions or outstanding warrants nationwide, including 598 known gang members, 178 of those being MS-13 members.
In FY2023, CBP, including Air and Marine Operations, has seized 27,293 pounds of fentanyl, coming across the Southwest border—enough to kill more than 6 billion people.