From that iconic moment when he rode down the escalator at Trump Tower through the end of his one term as president, few deny that Donald Trump’s driving legacy as Commander-in-Chief was immigration reform. His promise to combat illegal immigration and “build the wall” rallied Americans and upset the balance of power centered around the political establishment in Washington.
As the Biden campaign ratcheted-up its rhetoric leading to the 2020 election – decrying not another mile of wall would be built – I, as the former acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, knew they were playing a dangerous game of politics. From an operational perspective I knew the cost and how it would jeopardize our border security.
In March, as the impact of President Joe Biden’s open borders policies turned a border problem into a full-blown border crisis, the president handed his second-in-command the task of trying to convince the American public that the administration sincerely wanted to fix the mess he created.
Last week, the Biden administration announced that it would extend the Title 42 public health order. Title 42 allows immigration authorities to quickly remove illegal aliens from the country to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in processing facilities and within American communities. The extension reveals that the administration views the order as effective and should rightfully keep it in place as apprehension totals remain at historic levels and COVID-19 variants continue to proliferate.
Check out what Bob wrote in the Beeville-Bee Picayune:
The incoherence is breathtaking, even for some members of the president’s own party. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, is urging the White House to stop releasing thousands of illegal aliens, many of them unvaccinated and untested for coronavirus, into the country’s interior.
The Afghanistan debacle is only the latest, and most damaging, policy failure on the part of an administration that is seemingly caught off-guard by the sun rising in the east. The Biden administration does not seem to grasp the connection between ideologically-driven actions and statements, and consequences.
The new regime in Kabul has reneged on its assurances of respect for human rights, women’s rights and free passage for those seeking to escape the Sharia hellhole the Taliban is imposing. As they rolled across Afghanistan, the Taliban freed some 5,000 prisoners who had been held at the Bagram Air Base, which the U.S. abandoned. In addition to the Taliban’s fighters, the hardened terrorists turned loose from Bagram reportedly include some associated with ISIS and al Qaeda.
Check out what Jason and Tommy wrote in the Daily Caller:
The unfolding turmoil from the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has provoked elected officials and political commentators to urge the Biden administration to allow thousands of Afghan nationals to enter the United States unchecked. In response to the botched withdrawal, the Biden administration is contemplating bringing as many as 50,000 unvetted Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants and refugees into the country.
Anyone following the political and media discussion on Afghanistan right now could probably be forgiven if they came away with the impression that we have only two options: either callously abandon our Afghan allies to the Taliban, or resettle hundreds of thousands of Afghans – without being quite sure who they are, because proper vetting takes too long – to the United States.
In many cases, the Biden administration has blatantly ignored those suggested and urgent reforms. The evidence for that is proven by the mounting crisis at the southern border, the wholesale gutting of interior immigration enforcement, and the inadequate vetting of Afghan refugees seeking resettlement. The administration’s reckless approach jeopardizes national security and it must reverse course in order to avoid another catastrophe like September 11, 2001.