After declaring with a straight face that the southern border is "secure," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is dispatching civilian employees to the border to help "process" migrants who have been coming in waves that resemble an invading army.
Notice the word "process" is being used. That so many are breaking immigration laws apparently doesn’t matter to the Biden administration. If certain people intended to destroy the America many of us have known and loved and contributed to sustaining through military service, patriotism, and our tax dollars, they could find no better way than this. It reminds me of what the late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi: said about how Islam planned to take over Europe through immigration without firing a shot.
The outgoing mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, has sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas in which she complains: "We simply have no more shelters, spaces, or resources. Though I am sympathetic to the significant challenges that border cities face, this situation is completely untenable." New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, has said similar things, as have the mayors of other cities now that they’ve seen the results of their and the administration’s bad border policies.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies: "In March, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 162,000 illegal migrants at the Southwest border, up from just over 130,000 in February, and an increase of more than 33,000 over January. That’s an almost 25 percent increase over the month before, and a greater than 25 percent increase over January."
The Washington Post reports "U.S. agents have recorded more than 8,000 migrant apprehensions along the southern border on some days this week, and officials say illegal crossings are expected to surpass 10,000 per day after May 11, the date the White House is planning to lift the emergency public health restrictions known as Title 42, which have been in place since March 2020."
How many more can we take? Occasionally, there are cases like the one involving a Mexican man who had been deported four times before he shot and killed five of his neighbors, including an 8-year-old child after someone complained about his shooting off a rifle. He has since been taken into custody, but could these deaths have been prevented?
All Secretary Mayorkas could offer on "Meet the Press" was to send sympathies to the victims: "It's a horrific crime. And I can assure you and the American people that law enforcement will deliver accountability. The case is an active one under investigation so I really can't comment further."
This is the predictable response from government leaders who refuse to take responsibility for their failed policies. Mayorkas went on to say: "Our border is not open and will not be open after May 11."
Pictures tell the real story. They show migrants sleeping on the streets in border towns. In New York, they are housed in hotels. The New York Post reported the city "has been forced to shell out $275 million in a contract with the Hotel Association of New York City to house at least 5,000 migrants as waves of asylum seekers continue to land in the city from the southern border. The ‘emergency’ agreement between the city Department of Homeless Services and the Hotel Association puts the city on the hook for as much as $55,000 per migrant that lands in town."
How much longer will this continue? Maybe until the next election when voters can select a president and Congress that will enforce immigration laws, finish the wall and persuade Congress to pass new legislation to properly address the border crisis.
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Cal Thomas, America's most-syndicated columnist, is the author of 10 books.