Illegal Border Crossings Today:

Passports and paper with COVID-19 written in red.

A Reasoned Approach to Borders and Immigration Enforcement in the Post-COVID-19 World

To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything would be an understatement.

The pandemic and the worldwide crisis the virus has triggered will force us to reassess many aspects of modern life. One of those areas is the need to rethink what, until very recently, was the view of many globalists that national borders were not only irrelevant, but an impediment to commerce and personal freedoms.

As nation after nation closed its borders in response to COVID-19 outbreaks, the need to balance the benefits of the easy movement of people and goods, with the risks to public health and safety became undeniable. Prior to this international health crisis (which has also caused an economic crisis), concerns about the health threats posed by unsecured borders were dismissed as alarmist, xenophobic, or worse.

COVID-19, much like the attacks of 9/11, has taught us all that border enforcement and reasonable screening of people entering our country, still matter. Alone, these measures will not ensure our health and security, but they are important components in averting future crises. Immigrants and foreign nationals are not, per se, a threat to public health, but our failure to properly screen people entering our country, or preventing people from entering illegally, clearly are.

If the COVID-19 crisis has taught us anything it is that border and immigration enforcement is not an impediment to modern life and global commerce, rather an essential component to preserving it.