The consequences of reckless border policies and the role of states in addressing the crisis

Image material: US Customs and Border Protection / Facebook

by Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies –

The Biden-Harris administration’s reckless border policies have had disastrous consequences for many American communities, the consequences of which will be felt for years to come.

Since 2021, more than seven million inadmissible migrants have been allowed into the country: four million were released after crossing the border illegally; approximately 800,000 were allowed in after making arrangements to cross the border without a visa through the CBP1 phone app; approximately 530,000 were flown in from abroad under the auspices of illegal parole programs; and another two million are “runaways” who successfully evaded Border Patrol.

The Biden administration has issued work permits to some newcomers, but few are self-sufficient, and many work in low-wage jobs. A significant number (including Cubans, Haitians and Ukrainians) could qualify for Social Security immediately, while many others will become eligible in 2026.

The influx has created housing shortages, disrupted labor markets, strained public schools and hospitals, and has come with a huge price tag. About 400,000 of the new arrivals are unaccompanied children—most of whom are now out of government’s hands after being turned over to unverified, often illegal, sponsors. Taxpayers have spent more than $1 billion a year supporting the new arrivals in some of the hardest-hit states.

In addition to the enormous financial costs, Biden and Harris’ open-door policies have enriched Mexico’s criminal cartels that control border crossings and allowed established transnational gangs like MS-13 and 18^and Street to expand their membership and their deviant activities.

We also face new gangs like Tren de Aragua, whose agents have openly raided our border along with hundreds of thousands of other Venezuelans, all of whom now have protection from deportation, not to mention protection from law enforcement thanks to asylum jurisdictions and the Biden-Harris enforcement-suppression policies.

Most disturbingly, open borders have allowed human trafficking to flourish in our country like never before. This includes the sex trafficking of Venezuelan women from cheap motels in Middle Tennessee, the trafficking of child labor in the production of auto parts in Alabama, and the packaging of brand-name cereal in Michigan.

States are not helpless in the face of this sabotage of our immigration system. They can pass laws or implement policies, as Florida has done, to deter illegal residence and punish the criminal activities that support illegal immigration.

States can crack down on illegal employment not only by requiring E-Verify, but also by cracking down on identity theft, enforcing state labor laws, and holding employers accountable for trafficking and exploitation for profit. They can deny public services and even the ability to send money abroad to people who are here illegally.

States and localities can combat the new transnational gang threats by banning sanctuary policies, using zoning laws to prevent the construction of migrant housing, and seizing property used for human trafficking.

Even with new leadership in Washington, the federal government will not have the resources to quickly reverse the effects of this unprecedented mass illegal migration. State and local leaders will need to step in, either as partners in restoring the rule of law or to protect their constituents by pushing back against these misguided illegal resettlement schemes.

***Meet Jessica and listen to her lecture on “Immigration Policy – ​​Gangs, Human Trafficking and State Options” at the Maury County Republican Party meeting on September 26, 2024. Details HERE!