In the midst of a presidential election that carries serious stakes for the country, one of the key points of debate regards the current border crisis in the country. Recent changes in legislation and immigration policy have led to unprecedented illegal immigration numbers, and have turned our borders into weak points.
Within 3 years of President Biden’s administration, there have been over 535 border actions taken, which has already surpassed that of previous President Donald Trump (472). The general public however, does not support all of these immigration policies. Polling has suggested that only 27% of Americans agree with the administration’s actions, whereas during the duration of President Trump’s tenure, more than 54% of Americans said that they trusted the way that immigration was being handled. (America’s Border Crisis in Ten Charts (n.d.)
Currently, the state of Texas is in a standoff with the United States Supreme Court, as well as President Biden. The Texas National guard as well as state troopers have begun taking preventive measures to keep border patrol agents off of a 47 acre area on the bank of the river grande, where thousands of migrants have crossed into the United States. This comes in the aftermath of a 5-4 SCOTUS decision which vacated a lower court’s decision which disallowed border patrol agents to cut down wire meant to keep them out. Texas is sending a message to President Biden, as well as the rest of the United States, and that message is clear. Texas Governor Greg Abbott believes that President Biden has not upheld his oath to defend the security of the borders, and that they are being forced to take matters into their own hands.
In addition to Texas, major cities like New York and Chicago have adapted to the new immigration policies, and have embraced their roles respectively, as “Sanctuary Cities”. Since 2022, New York City has received over 118,000 asylum seekers, with the majority of them having crossed over at the Mexico/US border. Chicago is also embracing their role as a “Sanctuary City,” as they have enacted a policy that states that they will not inquire about immigration status, share any of that information with authorities, or deny you city services based on status. Chicago has chosen not to partner with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), and will not deport any undocumented individuals who seek asylum in their city. From the end of 2022 through the end of 2023, over 30,000 individuals reside in Chicago by way of Texas.
Overall, there needs to be change, and the security of the borders should hold the utmost of priority in the next presidential election.
