OPINION:
The river of humanity washing over the southern border is about to become a flood. On May 11, President Biden is set to lift Title 42, the coronavirus-era policy allowing the expulsion of illegal immigrants for public health reasons.
The president plans to replace the dam holding back the torrent with procedures for smoothing the flow rather than averting it. The nation may never be the same.
The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to establish immigration processing centers throughout Latin America to meet the expected surge of migrants. With the help of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and other international organizations, those eligible are to be funneled into programs facilitating their settlement in U.S. communities.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who has overseen Mr. Biden’s open-border policies already responsible for more than 5 million border crossings, explained the rationale for processing as many as 6,000 applicants per month in new regional offices: “The whole model is to reach the people where they are — to cut the smugglers out and to have them avoid the perilous journey that too many do not make.”
Immigrants who choose to skip the processing centers can use the CBP One app to schedule an appointment for illegal entry. With U.S. approval in hand, they are routinely released into the U.S. with only a backlogged hearing to interrupt their stay possibly.
Granted, individuals who enter the old-fashioned way — sneaking in — face expulsion with the reinstitution of Title 8, which
allows U.S. authorities to remove the illegal border crossers they apprehend. Catching them with a depleted U.S. Border Patrol, however, is problematic. Consequently, Mr. Biden has authorized the deployment of reserve troops to the southern border, but their primary mission is to stop the flow of illegal drugs, not people.
Before this initiative, White House officials reckoned the ensuing flood unleashed by the end of Title 42 would carry between 10,000 and 13,000 immigrants over the border — per day. On an annualized basis, the rate would add up to as many as 4.7 million.
By the end of Mr. Biden’s first term, the number of new settlers could reach 12 million. If the influx were to persist unabated through a second Biden term, new immigrant numbers would approach 30 million — equivalent to the population of Texas.
The Biden plan is designed to gain control over what has been a chaotic immigration process. Disturbingly, though, there is little evidence that the president intends to place an upper limit on the number of people allowed entry.
Indisputably, Americans have a heart for those in need. That’s why they donated nearly $485 billion to charity in 2021, according to the
National Philanthropic Trust. With ethnic influencers sharpening cultural conflicts by discouraging assimilation, too rapid an immigration influx can only build an American Tower of Babel.
Its capacity for blending national pride with nonnative accommodation has made the United States a global magnet. Ironically, the end of Title 42 and the ensuing human flood will likely wash away the valued attributes the world admires. So long as the flow is smooth, it’s apparently fine with President Biden.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.