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When the Trump administration left office on the morning of January 20, 2021, our southwest border was largely secure. The deals negotiated by Trump administration officials with Mexico and Central American countries had stopped the uncontrolled flow of migrants to the United States. These agreements were complemented by an increase in resources for border and interior enforcement in both manpower and infrastructure. By closing these loopholes, the Trump administration has taken power away from the criminal cartels and fortified our borders.
However, on his first day in office, President Joe Biden suspended the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) and later the asylum cooperation agreements with our Central American partners, both of which were cleverly done. negotiated by President Donald Trump. These policy measures have helped the United States fight illegal migration by discouraging migrants from making the treacherous journey to our southern border.
This brings us to the current crisis we witnessed in Del Rio, Texas last week, where nearly 16,000 migrants, mostly Haitians, camped under a bridge.
Red flags were raised in early June by border patrol agents to the Del Rio sector chief – these requests for assistance were largely ignored. In addition, the Panamanian government warned months ago against increasing flows to the US-Mexico border.
PANAMA WARNS OF A WAVE OF HATIAN MIGRANTS THOUSANDS ON THE WAY
Panama’s foreign minister says her government’s concerns were dismissed, and she was right. These red flags went unanswered until it was too late.
Just a week before the number reached nearly 15,000, the administration took steps to send additional resources and manpower to the Del Rio area. Now, new warning signs indicate that Del Rio could see an even larger wave of migration soon after individuals learned that nearly 12,000 migrants had been released in the United States.
Instead of responding to the humanitarian crisis, they used border patrol agents as scapegoats to shield them from criticism for their lack of leadership. This story was supported not only by the secretary of DHS, but also by the president himself who went so far as to say: “they will pay”. Pay for what? Fulfill their sworn duty of defending our borders?
The American people need only look at Del Rio to understand that the priorities of this administration rest with the politicians in Washington, DC, not our federal law enforcement officials. We should question President Biden every day as this crisis worsens, why he has not yet visited the border to see the humanitarian crisis he has created.
And yet, with every opportunity given to this administration to put things right, it seems determined to continue to fail. Under Secretary Mayorkas’ leadership, the Homeland Security Ministry sent out a notice that it would end the MPP again, even after the district court ordered the ministry to reinstate it.
TEXAS COUNTY OFFICIAL: BORDER PATROL “LINKED” WITH HATIAN MIGRANTS, CANNOT FOCUS ON DRUGS AND TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
In addition, the administration has now placed restrictions on immigration and customs enforcement officers to carry out detentions and deportations, which has drastically closed the agency’s enforcement capacity. . Meanwhile, FY21 border encounters surpass one million, the highest numbers in over twenty years.
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Examining the threats crossing our borders, Border Patrol estimates that nearly 308,000 known migrants have bypassed CBP and escaped arrest. As the head of counterterrorism and national security for the Western Texas region, there is only one reason a person would want to avoid being apprehended at the border: they want to go unnoticed. .
Open border policies create loopholes in our system for human smugglers and traffickers, leaving migrant children vulnerable to their illicit schemes. Law enforcement officials estimate that smugglers profit around $ 8,000 to $ 10,000 per migrant. So far this year, CBP has conducted over 11,000 rescue missions in FY21, eclipsing FY20 numbers of just 5,071.
More than 132,000 unaccompanied foreign children (UAC) have been apprehended by CBP. This is the highest number of UACs ever reported in a single fiscal year. The images we have seen of minors left alone in harsh conditions are simply heartbreaking.
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In 2020, more than 93,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses during the pandemic – this is an increase of almost 30% from 2019. We cannot afford to exacerbate this crisis that will end up costing Americans more lives.
But as Biden’s border crisis continues, more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl have been seized by CBP. That’s enough fentanyl to kill the American population more than seven times.
Mexican drug cartels are also taking full advantage of Biden’s open border policies and smuggling deadly drugs, most of which originate from China, into our communities.
The department’s mission is to “protect the American people, our homeland and our values.” I can confidently say that Biden’s border policies undermine the department’s mission – endangering our national security and the safety of Americans.
The Biden administration must regain control of our southern border before it’s too late.
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As I learned as the chairman of Homeland Security, in order to effectively tackle our failing immigration system, we need to put in place strong border security measures.
The Biden administration must revert to Trump-era policies such as the MPP and Asylum Cooperative agreements. Only then will our government be in a better position to tackle the root causes of migration.
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