Some numbers paint a picture of what’s really happening at the border.According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, federal agents approximately 2.5 million Compared to 850,000 immigrants in 2023 2019. This rapid increase has dramatically worsened the humanitarian crisis.
A small town on the border overloaded Due to lack of resources. Meanwhile, immigrants endure harsh conditions. There is growing anger at the federal government over border security failures, as well as concerns about the unrestrained influx of criminals and drugs, but these fears are far from unfounded.
Sending immigrants all over the country does not prevent suffering, it only moves suffering elsewhere.
In 2023, border authorities will confiscated The 26,700 pounds of fentanyl was a shocking 480% increase since 2020. Almost 99% of that came through the southern border.death from overdose Over 112,000 Last year saw the first deaths in history, and experts say fentanyl is accelerating these drug deaths.
Human trafficking is another major problem arising from our nation’s chaotic border policies. Mark Morgan, former acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Said The United States is “participating in the largest human smuggling and human trafficking operation in modern history.”
Arrested for human trafficking in 2022 Rose 50%, convictions increased by 80%. A whopping 72% of people trafficked in the United States are immigrants. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women estimates that 60% of unaccompanied undocumented children are captured and exploited by cartels through pornography and drug trafficking. To put this in perspective, we see that in 2022 more than 150,000 unaccompanied children will be crossing the southern border, and 90,000 of them will be exploited in unspeakable ways.
The government has undoubtedly failed in its duty to protect innocent lives, and confusing immigration laws are hurting people on both sides of the border. But a disturbing trend in America’s dehumanizing treatment of immigrants is emerging as an extreme reaction to government failures.
spread the problem
In 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott began sending immigrants to supposedly “desired” blue cities, including New York City and Chicago.
But these cities are not equipped to care for so many migrants.Recently, New York City evacuated Due to extreme weather forecasts, the high school needed to accommodate approximately 2,000 immigrants, including families with children. These people had been living in tents for months on known floodplains.
last Month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker asked Abbott to refrain from sending more migrants to the city amid subzero temperatures. Abbott declined, citing Chicago’s self-proclaimed “Welcoming City” nickname and noting that Texas also faces bitterly cold weather.
many immigrants Chicago I found myself in an impossible situation. Due to a lack of available beds, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has placed a 60-day limit on how long migrants can stay in shelters. More than 5,000 people are expected to be affected by the first wave of evictions, scheduled to begin in mid-March.
If the Biden administration does not plan to expel these people soon, they will need a place to live and work. About half of the immigrants in the Chicago shelter are not eligible for rental assistance because they arrived after Illinois ended the program. Those who arrived after July 31 are not eligible for Temporary Protected Status, which includes the ability to obtain a work permit. This means that it takes most immigrants about six months to receive a work permit after filing their asylum claim.
But in reality, it is virtually impossible for many of these migrants to escape the shelter system and fend for themselves. Those who can’t find work or can’t afford to pay rent will need to reapply to shelters.
Urgent need for reform
There is no doubt that these Republican governors have been treated harshly. But transporting immigrants across the country does nothing to prevent suffering, it only shifts suffering elsewhere, exacerbates divisions between political parties and states, and fuels hostility between Americans and immigrants. . Treating humans like cargo, unwanted, unloved outcasts, only weakens America’s already crumbling cities. Furthermore, these policies exacerbate the very problems they purport to solve by sending immigrants further into the country.
Any ideology that objectifies humans or uses them as a means to an end is evil. That’s why we sorely need a national solution that protects Americans from foreign threats and protects the essential worth of all human beings. Achieving such a solution will require federal and state leaders to put aside partisan politics and prioritize the sanctity of human life.
First and foremost, our government has a duty to protect its citizens. Walls could help secure borders and keep out human traffickers and drugs.
Red states should stop sending buses full of people deep into the country into cities that can’t accommodate them, and perhaps instead work with charities, states, and even other safe countries to find them safe places. There is a need. can help them.
Additionally, our legal immigration system is in dire need of reform.in 2019The average waiting time for applicants for family support or employment-based immigration is now nearly six years, up from about two years in 1991. most immigrants People who apply for asylum at the border will be released to American cities within 72 hours. For those seeking a better life, there is virtually no incentive to pursue a legal path.
It is not benevolent for the federal government to allow immigrants to break the law and enter the country with virtually no system in place to support them once they arrive. But sending these people to cities that don’t accept them is also uncharitable. Although America is currently broken, it remains a beacon of hope for people around the world. Lawmakers must maintain that light and pursue policies that protect the dignity of all people.
