Biden Has Outsourced Our Border Security to Mexico. Mexico is Delivering for Now, but Will It Last?
Last December, when border encounters of illegal aliens had reached all-time records, topping out at more than 300,000 per month, President Joe Biden had a phone conversation with then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) of Mexico. The conversation resulted in President Lopez Obrador agreeing to take steps to alleviate pressure on America’s southern border.
Under a program that Mexican officials have implemented, nicknamed El Carrusel (Spanish for carousel), the Mexican government has taken steps to interdict migrants headed to the U.S. border and transport them to Mexico’s southernmost regions. If they head north again and are caught again, they are sent back to the extreme south once more. The logic behind El Carrusel is that they will eventually tire of the carousel ride and give up. Mexico has also taken steps to tighten up visa issuance to migrants who are likely using their country as a conduit to the U.S. border, and provided monetary incentives for some migrants, such as Venezuelans, to return home.
The agreement with the Mexican government obviously came at a price. At one point, President Lopez Obrador asked the U.S. to provide billions of dollars in foreign aid and millions of visas for Mexicans illegally in the U.S. But to-date, the Biden-Harris administration has not been forthcoming about what it has given Mexico in return for helping reduce illegal crossings at our southern border. Nor do we know what the expiration date is for the informal agreement between two men who were on the verge of leaving office.
Nevertheless, the Biden-Harris administration seems to be counting on Mexico’s help as the election approaches. After all, based on the administration’s record during his first three years in office, it is evident that Biden’s sudden interest in curbing the flow of illegal aliens entering the country has more to do with his own prospects for re-election than genuine concern for the state of the southern border. Biden has since withdrawn his candidacy, but maintains a strong interest in seeing his vice president, Kamala Harris, prevail in November.
Thus, there is no guarantee that Mexico will keep the carousel turning beyond Nov. 5. While the cooperation of the Mexican government is welcome, whatever their reasons might be, it is not a substitute for our own government securing our borders and enforcing our laws. The carousel can stop at any time that the Mexican government no longer feels it serves their interests to keep it going. Moreover, since agreeing to ramp up its carrusel program, President Lopez Obrador has been replaced by Claudia Sheinbaum, who was inaugurated on Oct. 1.
The only reliable means of securing our borders is for the United States government to exercise its sovereign right and responsibility to do it ourselves. Regardless of who is elected president on Nov. 5 and which parties control the Legislative Branch, Congress must enact real and lasting border enforcement policies, such as H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives in May 2023, but has languished in the Senate.
There must also be a commitment on the part of the new administration taking office on Jan. 20 to faithfully carry out our laws in a manner that protects the interests and security of the American people – a commitment that has been glaringly absent during these past four years.