Congressional Inaction Is Breeding A Humanitarian Disaster
According to U.S. Border Patrol (CBP), in six and a half months their agents have apprehended more than 418,000 illegal aliens, which surpasses the total for FY2018. In the last six months, CBP has encountered, more than 3,000 fraudulent family units. And CBP had apprehended almost 1,000 illegal aliens, mostly family units, before 5 a.m. on April 16.
Anti-enforcement politicians and Democrats in Congress reflexively blame the Trump administration or Central American dictators. Democratic presidential candidate Gov. Jay Inslee (Wash.) even blamed the crisis on climate change.
They can point fingers and shift blame, but the truthis that Congress is largely responsible for the surge of economic migrants andfor creating conditions that will produce a humanitarian disaster.
“The dramatic increase in [family unit] apprehensions over the past year is directly linked to the U.S. government — executive, legislative and judicial branches — creating ‘pull factors’ that incentivize migrants to bring a child with them to gain entry to and release into the U.S.,” said a new report from the Homeland Security Advisory Committee, a non-partisan federal advisory panel comprised of experts from state and local government, first responder communities, the private sector, and academia.
That is also the conclusion of those with directexperience dealing with the consequences of governmental ineptitude andinaction.
“It’s part of the fraud scheme that we’re seeing, because [migrants] know that they’ll be released into the United States if they have a child,” says Maria Michel-Manzo, Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
So, how can the trend be reversed?
The HSAC members’ recognition of the imperative for Congress and the Trump administration to act was reflected in their decision to release their report this week, rather than in May as planned.
Noting the catastrophe at the border is “further exacerbated” by the 2017 Flores decision, they recommend rolling it back “by exempting children accompanied by a parent or relative, who is acting as the guardian of the child.”
Furthermore, “because the expansion of Flores iscontributing to the flow of accompanied children, many who are of tender age,” thereport suggests that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should actpromptly to limit it by emergency regulation until Congress acts.
Among the other recommendations is for Congress topass legislation modifying asylum laws “so that a hearing and decision can beprovided to family members within 20 or 30 days” and to amend currentimmigration law “to require border crossers to present asylum claims” at portsof entry unless “extraordinary circumstances exist.”
During his tour of McAllen, Texas, on Thursday, ActingSecretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan told reporters that the daybefore more than 4,800 illegal aliens crossed the border.
“It’s very clear that the cartel and smugglers know the weaknesses in our laws. They know that family units and unaccompanied children will be released with no consequences for their illegal entries,” he said.
McAleenan realizes the answer to the problem at theborder will require congressional action to change the laws. The members of theHomeland Security Advisory Committee and the border agents know it. Members ofCongress know it too, but the question is whether they will do anything aboutit.