The Human Cost of Biden’s Border Policies
Joe Biden took executive action to limit asylum seekers at the border. This sudden and isolated attempt to distract American voters from 3 ½ years of disastrous open border policies is far too little and far too late.
Being a son and grandson of immigrants, I have deep respect for the immense contributions to our country made by those who have come here to pursue their American dream. Tragically, President Biden’s open border policies have created untenable incentives and unrealized expectations turning would-be American dreams into lawless nightmares.
As migrants and refugees flood the southern border, the U.S. immigration system is buckling under record flows, massive displacement, and untold human suffering. Those undertaking the treacherous journey to the border are exposed to life-threatening dangers along the way, as American citizens here at home struggle to afford, let alone absorb, the unprecedented migrant influx.
This cycle of suffering is deeply inhumane and entirely avoidable. Nevertheless, President Biden persists with reckless open-border mandates, turning a blind eye to the myriad humanitarian issues they have created. In doing so, he has stripped away the dignity and safety of American citizens and migrants alike. Weak border security only increases the suffering and pain for the most vulnerable populations in the migrant community and within the United States, often pitting them against each other.
Residents on the south side of Chicago have taken legal action against the city over its invasive use of public buildings for housing asylum seekers. NYC students have been forced into remote learning as schools accommodate migrants in the city. Throughout America, hospitals are overrun, shelters are out of beds, and low-income children have nowhere to go.
Even those who risked life and limb for our nation are returning home to find themselves on the streets without shelter amid the largest spike in veteran homelessness in 12 years—while those who entered illegally are being housed by billions of dollars’ worth of government-funded programs.
Such programs, solely funded by the taxpayer, could reach up to $451 billion annually. This hefty price tag comes as 65% of Americans say they live paycheck to paycheck amid the struggling Biden economy.
This exorbitant expense perversely facilitates a system that promotes further suffering. Under Biden, migrant deaths at our southern border have soared to an all-time high, with “more bodies recovered over the past nine months than any full year in recorded history.” Additionally, in border cities, migrant women are increasingly being kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and tortured for ransom by criminal groups while awaiting entry to the U.S.
Cartels exploit the hopes of travelers, controlling who crosses the border. In exchange, they turn migrants into mules (carriers) for illicit drugs that devastate our communities. Others are forced to steal for Organized Retail Crime rings, driving billions in losses annually to our national economy. Many more migrants are sold for sex, labor or organ harvesting in America, as human trafficking reports soar to historic records.
As an Attorney General who has made fighting this atrocity a priority, it’s devastating to see smugglers exploit our open borders. Unaccompanied children are prime targets. Since January of 2021, over 440,000 children have been trafficked or smuggled across the southern border. Shockingly, by one report, 85,000 of these kids were identified by federal agencies and then “lost” somewhere in the U.S., with many likely handed over by our own government to predators and child traffickers.
Beyond the humanitarian crisis and tsunami of drugs and human trafficking, our national security is also being seriously threatened. Almost 300 suspects on the U.S. terrorist watchlist have been detained under Biden’s watch, a 2,500 percent increase from previous years. Frighteningly, how many more suspected terrorists have crossed undetected?
As I have publicly stated since 2021, every state in America is now a border state dealing with the fallout of misguided border policies. And what has President Biden done in response? Cut budgets for federal law enforcement at the border, feud with states like Texas trying to secure its own boundaries and refuse to utilize tools at his disposal to quell the onslaught of invasion.
Because of his refusal to enforce the law, I am urging Congress to support the Immigration Enforcement Partnership Act of 2023, which “authorizes an office of a state attorney general (AG) to request in writing that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fulfill duties related to immigration enforcement.” AGs would have authority to sue DHS for failing to comply with the bill, which is currently under review by the House Committee on the Judiciary. If the bill passes, I will be bringing this administration to court for its egregious abdication of duty.
I’ve also joined a 20-State coalition suing the Biden Administration over an unlawful program that would allow hundreds of thousands more migrants to enter America every year under a policy that “severely relaxes … qualification requirements”. The program circumvents congressional power, neglecting presidential duties to the American people and making it much easier for malicious actors to exploit our broken immigration system.
We need real change, and we need it urgently. As this administration refuses to accept reason or reality, my fellow AGs and I will keep battling its unlawful policies in court to ensure the law is upheld and the most vulnerable populations remain protected.
A strong border is humane policy. One Biden order is not enough to offset years of timidity and dysfunction. Continued weakness will only encourage, and indeed promote, pervasive and preventable pain for both Americans and migrants.
Sean D. Reyes has served as Utah’s 21st Attorney General and the state’s top law enforcement officer since 2013.
