On his first day in office President Joe Biden sent legislation to Congress with the aim of granting amnesty and a path towards citizenship to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the US. His proposal, a direct counterpoint to the Trump administration’s stance, would completely change the immigration system as we know it. It would also eliminate existing restrictions, allowing for even more illegal immigration.
The dust had barely settled on the white house Resolute Desk, when Biden, with a stroke of his pen, removed most of Trump’s toughest immigration restrictions. Among those restrictions was the MPP, or Migrant Protection Program, which required asylum seekers to remain in their home countries while awaiting US court hearings. In the announcement of the new directives, Biden has asked that immigrants already enrolled in the program wait patiently in their home countries pending further instructions.
On Thursday morning, many migrants instead gathered their belongings and crowded entry ports, hoping to get a jump on the immigration crowds sure to challenge our borders in the coming months. This time, they were turned away by Border Patrol because of a Trump-era mandate restricting entry due to the pandemic.
With Biden’s new policy of amnesty in place, once again, the only thing stopping a wave of illegal immigration is the ability of the migrants to make the journey. A caravan of 8000 Hondurans was stopped and disbanded in Guatemala by security forces last week. A second caravan from Honduras, 3000 strong, has just departed Honduras en route to the southern border.
These caravans are using social media apps like Facebook to organize, and already have plans for a third caravan departing El Salvador on February 14th. Currently, the Guatemalan government, acting in good faith with President Trump’s policies, has been effectively hindering the progress of these caravans as they pass through Guatemala on their way to Mexico. With Biden now undermining these directives, Guatemala may no longer have the motivation to interfere.
President Biden has also mandated that work stop on the southern border wall that Trump championed just a few short years ago. The almost 450-mile border wall that was erected during Trump’s tenure has been greatly effective at stopping human trafficking, drug smuggling, and DHS manpower requirements, according to the Department of Homeland Security statistics.
On their website, DHS.gov, they cite solid numbers that prove its effectiveness. Biden, however, has, at least temporarily, killed the project, leaving vast areas of our southern border wide open and costing many Americans their jobs. Despite the positive effects documented by the Department of Homeland Security, Biden called the project “… a waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security.”
It’s difficult to imagine what threats he’s referring to when astronomical numbers of unvetted, undocumented, and often unaccounted for citizens of a foreign country are invading the United States on a monthly basis.
Biden’s plan to give these interlopers a path towards citizenship can only hurt our country. As existing illegal immigrants are rewarded for breaking the rules, an example is set for the next wave. A message is being sent by the Biden administration that sets a precedent for future border jumpers. Ignore the law, and it won’t matter in the end.
The United States is a country founded on immigration. I, myself, am the product of immigrants who entered this country back at the turn of the century. The major difference is simple. My ancestors entered through Ellis Island, were legally documented, screened, and vetted. It was easier in those days to screen immigrants, simply because of the geological differences, as the Atlantic isn’t as easy to cross as the southern border, after all.
Geography aside, some order and legality must be observed. Simply giving amnesty to anyone who has broken our laws isn’t a good start. Ignoring miles of unprotected border and turning a blind eye to illegal crossings isn’t either. With Biden’s reversal of Trump’s policies, the world has taken notice.
The caravans have started again. The border crisis has begun again in earnest. Biden’s policy reversal has reignited a fire President Trump had managed to quell. Agencies across the Southwestern US are already seeing massive increases over the last few months. President Biden’s relaxed approach to illegal immigration will only make matters worse.