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Border security is a top issue for American voters, and President Biden has responded by signing executive orders he claims will help secure the border.
Is this a meaningful step towards reducing unrest on the border and in the political arena?
I served as a U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agent for nearly 30 years and retired as Chief during the Biden Administration, and that first-hand professional experience influences my opinion on the situation on the southern border.
In 1992, the USBP was making thousands of arrests and seizing large amounts of drugs every day. But it was not effectively controlling the border between ports of entry. Lawlessness was a serious threat to public safety. Border chaos was increasingly featured on the national nightly news.
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In 1994, under the Clinton Administration, the USBP established the first full-scale border security strategy focused on preventing illegal entry and reestablishing control of the international border. This strategy was deployed as Operation Hold the Line in El Paso, Texas, and Operation Gatekeeper in San Diego, California.
The deterrence strategy was effective, but it wasn’t very efficient. It took a lot of agents to create a visible deterrent to stop illegal entry. Agents are the most precious and expensive resource. So the Border Patrol began building a system of walls, fences, roads, lighting, and sensor technology that allowed agents to do more, improving efficiency and safety.
A great example is a 12-mile stretch of the border near San Diego, where improvements have allowed the Border Patrol to operate with 150 fewer agents, saving taxpayers about $28 million a year in salaries and benefits alone.
The USBP further strengthened its deterrence strategy by working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to apply a range of prosecution and deportation measures to aliens apprehended for illegal entry. As a result of serious enforcement efforts, the number of illegal actors has decreased.
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The strategy evolved and was refined through the presidential administrations of Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump, but the basic principles remained intact.
It is worth noting that prior to the Trump administration, this strategy enjoyed significant bipartisan support. As the USBP gained control of previously lawless areas of the border, illegal crossings have decreased, allowing agents to increase patrols and strengthen efforts to identify, interdict and prosecute members of transnational criminal organizations that pose significant threats to border security and public safety.
By December 2020, the United States had the most secure border in the nation’s history, with a proven plan for continued improvement: Crossings were down overall, and situational awareness was at an all-time high.
But during the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden promised to end the deterrence strategy and allow more migrants into the country.
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Biden immediately followed through on his campaign promises when he took office, swiftly ending the Migrant Protection Protocols and halting all border security infrastructure improvements.
Biden has abandoned the bipartisan deterrence strategy that has served the country for 27 years in favor of a reactionary strategy: performance indicators such as situational awareness, arrests, seizures, turnarounds and escapes have been replaced with shorter processing times and shorter detention periods.
These measures combined have virtually eliminated significant penalties for illegal entry into our country and effectively reintroduced catch and release.
Biden’s policy shift has unleashed a tsunami of illegal immigration. 30 years of progress in border security has been wiped out, and Biden has handed over control of the border to international crime syndicates and cartels.
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The cartels rely on a constant influx of illegal immigrants to overwhelm the Border Patrol: more than 1,000 illegal crossings per day are more than enough to create an environment that facilitates the cartels’ smuggling of drugs, contraband, and foreigners willing to pay extra to avoid being fingerprinted.
Since January 2021, the USBP has detected or recorded nearly 10 million illegal immigrants, including nearly 2 million known fugitives and more than 350 foreign nationals on the National Terrorist Watch List. And it’s these fools who get caught.
At the end of the day, the border chaos is 100% Biden’s fault. The 2,500 per day limit on illegal immigration is political theater.
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Think of border security like guarding your own home: anyone can enter through your front door, regardless of weight, height, or gender. A bad immigration policy is like allowing anyone into your home without your permission or knowing who they are.
Without the will to actually control who and what enters our country, any sense of security is merely a facade.
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