OPINION:
It can be difficult to establish the motives of government leaders unless they are told to us outright or unless a pattern of behavior allows us to draw conclusions consistent with that behavior.
The wave of migrants crossing America’s southern border illegally and the Biden administration’s refusal to do what is necessary to stop them (as in building the wall) was first defended as a humanitarian effort to help people who were fleeing from dictatorships and violence in their home countries. Most traveled from Mexico, Central America and increasingly South America, but more recently from scores of countries as far away as China and Africa.
American compassion was displayed as volunteers went to the border to assist with housing, food and transportation to cities around the country. Soon the flow became uncontrollable.
The Biden administration has consistently and erroneously claimed the border is closed and under control, while video shows otherwise. State and city leaders who had declared “sanctuary cities” and “sanctuary states” for migrants are now pleading for federal help as many — especially in New York City and upstate — are running out of space and money to care for them.
Roughly 100,000 migrants have come to New York’s five boroughs, forcing Mayor Eric Adams to come up with emergency shelters, the New York Post reports.
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, “Despite the happy talk coming out of the Biden administration, claiming that their policies have reduced illegal immigration, the July Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data show precisely the opposite. Overall, CBP encounters in July were 245,286, up from 238,929 in July 2022. Even Southwest Border encounters between ports of entry - which had been artificially reduced because the administration has been massively abusing its parole authority to allow many inadmissible aliens to enter - rose sharply in July, even as temperatures soared into the triple digits.
“By every metric, illegal immigration increased last month - at the Southwest border, the Northern border, unaccompanied children, family units and single adults. In the 30 months that President Biden has been in office, there have been 6.9 million CBP encounters and 1.7 million known gotaways.”
In 2022, the Border Patrol reported “98 encounters with people on the U.S. government’s terrorist watchlist along the southwest border.” Those people “were stopped by border agents, and did not escape into the U.S.”
What if they had escaped? What if some migrants are criminals, gang members, or drug smugglers?
Schools in some areas are being challenged to come up with space and sufficient foreign language speakers to teach migrant children. How does this affect how teachers educate young Americans who speak English?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, took a hard-line position in last week’s GOP debate, saying that as president, he would detain and deport all who have entered the country illegally.
The public is beginning to push back as hotels, parks and other facilities have been taken over by the migrants. Protesters have shown up at the home of Mayor Adams, who once declared New York a sanctuary city where migrants are welcome.
Now, he and his state are going to spend an estimated $4 billion this coming year housing and feeding “the nearly 55,000 asylum seekers still in the city’s care.”
And more are coming.
A rally last Monday on Staten Island drew more than 400 people protesting the decision to turn a shuttered Catholic school into a migrant shelter.
As to motivation, there is talk about getting the migrants work permits. With them, they can vote in New York municipal elections.
Does anyone see a pattern here? With the right to vote, migrants could vote for the politicians who promise to give them more stuff.
And then there’s the possibility that laws would be changed so that migrants can vote in federal elections. Wouldn’t this ensure that Democrats stay in power?
Should this be an issue in the 2024 presidential campaign? You bet it should.
• Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book, “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
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