OPINION:
America is under siege. A steady stream of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border is poised to erupt into a tidal wave meant to wash away forever the nation’s red, white and blue identity. It is the inevitable consequence of turning over leadership to “progressives” bent on transforming the U.S. rather than to patriots dedicated to preserving it.
Title 42, the Trump-era rule granting the federal government emergency powers to expel arriving immigrants during the COVID-19 health crisis, has long carried a court-mandated Dec. 21 expiration date. President Biden’s Department of Justice chose not to contest the court ruling, but 19 Republican-led states appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that Title 42’s end would cause them irreparable harm.
Legal proceedings in Washington amount to flimsy deterrence on the border. That’s because news of the restriction’s expected termination has already drawn asylum-seekers by the tens of thousands to Mexico, counting down the days until their border dash. “I’ve been told by officials that there [are] over 50,000 migrants waiting on the other side of the border, waiting to come over,” Rep. Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican, told Fox News. Following the initial rush, as many as 18,000 are expected to cross into the U.S. illegally each day.
Whether sooner or later, the surge of humanity is likely to rewrite the record books. Fiscal 2022 concluded on Sept. 30 with a total of 2.76 million illegal crossings at the southern U.S. border, eclipsing the previous high of 1.72 million in 2021.
All the while, administration officials from Mr. Biden on down have claimed the border is secure. In his lexicon, “border security” does not describe the duty of an armed guard who prevents unauthorized entrance. Rather, it is more like the job of a traffic cop who sorts out traffic snarls to restore a smooth flow of travelers.
Mr. Biden’s Department of Homeland Security has crafted a plan in which Mexican authorities would pre-approve immigrants for U.S. admission and simply hand off the individuals and required paperwork to their U.S. border counterparts, according to Todd Bensman, a senior national security fellow with the Center for Immigration Studies. Dubbed “Pillar 2,” the process would speed up the inflow, thereby helping alleviate crowding at port facilities when the crush hits.
It is unsurprising that Americans view Mr. Biden’s brand of “border security” with the same degree of distrust they regard assurances that Biden-brand law enforcement keeps U.S. citizens safe from crime and Biden-brand COVID-19 vaccines provide robust protection from the virus.
A Zogby exit poll of midterm-election voters found 55% believe Mr. Biden’s policies “encourage mass illegal immigration,” with only 11% disagreeing. By a 62%-32% margin, voters favored “strong action to secure our border and remove illegal aliens.”
Americans don’t find fault in the human impulse to seek a better life. They cannot abide, however, the attempt to acquire betterment through unlawful means that strip prosperity from hardworking U.S. citizens.
Nor do they absolve President Biden for beckoning furtively and relentlessly to prospective immigrants — U.S. security notwithstanding. It is he and his fellow “progressives” whom patriots must hold ultimately responsible for the immigration inundation.
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