By scrapping Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration at the southern border, President Joe Biden can claw back Pentagon funds earmarked for wall construction. But any suggestion that the crisis has gone away is countered by swelling numbers of illegal aliens flowing into the U.S.
“The challenges at our border are compounding by the minute,” Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said this month. Gonzales’ 23rd Congressional District spans 820 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, more than any congressional district.
If the president cares to wonder why there’s a problem, a look in the mirror can provide a myriad of answers.
- According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures cited by Breitbart News, 1,560 illegal border crossers were released into the U.S. interior during the first week of February, some without COVID tests.
- Ending the Remain in Mexico policy, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly plans to release 25,600 asylum seekers into Texas and California.
“Those being reprocessed south of our border by international organizations, who will determine their eligibility, will soon be released into U.S. communities as they get added to the 1,000,000+ immigration court backlog,” stated Rep. John Katko, ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee. “As more migrants catch wind of the reimplementation of ‘catch and release,’ the surge on our border will be unimaginable,” the New York Republican said.
Though Biden evidently believes that the 47 miles of new border wall built during the Trump era was enough – or too much – his cancellation of the national emergency opens the way for more illegal crossings. FAIR reported last week that 296,259 arrests were made at the southwest border in the first four months of fiscal 2021, more than half of all apprehensions in 2020. With the “busy season” still ahead, 2021 is on a record pace.
Under the catch-and-release policy, apprehension numbers have little meaning, however. Illegal aliens stopped by Border Patrol agents are merely ticketed and sent on their way. Barely half can be expected to show up for immigration court hearings.
It is disingenuous, at best, for Biden to unravel border security while urging Mexico and Guatemala to maintain enforcement efforts. It is irresponsible to float a sweeping amnesty for nearly 14.5 million immigration lawbreakers while waving more across the border.
If Trump jumped the gun by proclaiming a national emergency, his successor appears determined to make one come to pass.
