Commonsense Americans have probably lost count of how often the Biden administration has misled them regarding our Southern border insecurity. One wonders how many officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have spent quality time at the four border states to experience realities on the ground. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas keeps assuring us that the border is secure. Try telling that to the ranchers and all the border cities and towns in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.
If every person was self-governing with a code of ethics, and understood principles of liberty, Mr. Doti’s vision might make sense. However, we live in the real world of arms, drugs, and human traffickers, along with an array of opportunists who seek to take what they can get from a generous nation. Mr. Doti’s libertarian approach flies in the face of harsh realities, while he makes no distinction between legal or illegal immigration.
One can understand American sympathies for folks around the globe who seek asylum to escape tyranny in Afghanistan, Syria, or Ukraine, but to allow unvetted migrants to stream into the United States through the back door merely for economic opportunity is morally unsound. Open border advocates claim that these migrants want to work and improve their lives. Don’t most folks want to do that? Isn’t it better to pursue one’s dreams as a citizen or legal immigrant?
Now that millions of illegal immigrants have poured through the border, every state has had to bear the burden via tax-funded handouts to migrants. The Democrats who once embraced illegal immigration with open arms are now hyperventilating because their sanctuary cities can’t handle the influx.
Second, while more Border Patrol agents are being trained and added to the force, utilize the state National Guard to deal with cartel intrusions on our side of the border. Redirect unspent COVID funds and Ukraine aid to bolster border security. We cannot allow the cartels to make a fortune with their drug smuggling and human trafficking lawlessness. The Mexican cartels are exploiting and killing too many Americans and migrants.
Third, instead of swallowing the asylum mantra, rigorously vet each interdicted migrant for health and security risks and turn back anyone who doesn’t pass the test. Far too many of these migrants are young men without any ID, which makes one speculate how many criminals or terrorists are in this bunch.
Moreover, many of these migrants come from nations that are hostile to America and other Western democracies. If they break basic laws of entry, how many other laws will they ignore to cheat their way into permanent residency with fraudulent documents? What is the point of moving to America if they refuse to assimilate lawfully?
Fourth, as the border is beefed up, expedite the process of legal immigration for those who adhere to a legal process and patiently wait to be processed by Customs and Immigration Services. If they follow the rules, they already are beginning to understand civil rights under the rule of law. Folks who do the right thing should get first preference in the immigration process.
Fifth, end the policy of chain migration. Merely because one’s relatives are residing in America doesn’t mean that other family members or cousins should automatically be handed a ticket to the land of opportunity. A process of thorough vetting must be undertaken coupled with appropriate waiting periods.
Sixth, Customs and Immigration needs to identify and monitor students and tourists who have overstayed their visas and handle them on a case-by-case basis.
Seventh, begin to de-couple or de-risk from the People’s Republic of China. This insidious regime exports fentanyl precursors to Mexico where the cartels manufacture it and distribute it to America and other countries. The Chinese Communist Party is utilizing hybrid warfare and spies inside America to subvert liberty, the rule of law, and national security.
Finally, the primary role of the federal government is to defend liberty and keep America safe by enforcing laws already in the books. By failing to uphold these principles, the Biden administration is guilty of dereliction of duty. Mr. Biden’s porous border exacerbates national insecurity, while strengthening border sovereignty will enhance national security. Entertainer Jack Paar once noted, “Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery.” Let’s hope he meant legal immigration.
