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POLITICAL COMMENTARY

No Border, No Country

A Commentary By Brian Joondeph

America’s national border is a border in name only. Just ask the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency as they are by statute charged with controlling America’s borders.

Their mission statement is, “Protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nation’s economic prosperity.”

How is that working out? Are the borders safeguarded? Are Americans protected from terrorists? Are the laws being enforced? Are open borders improving our economic prosperity?

According to the CBP website, there have been 7.5 million border encounters during Biden’s presidential term, from 2021 to the present. More than two-thirds of those (5.2 million) were single adults, mostly male. If these young men are seeking political asylum, why aren’t they bringing their families rather than coming alone?

And it’s getting worse by the day. Look at the encounters in just one month, “CBP’s total encounters along the Southwest border in August 2023 were 232,972.” At that rate it’s close to 3 million migrants a year.

Notice how these are called “encounters”. How many illegal migrants get to enter America without being “encountered”? That number is largely unknowable but the Center for Immigration Studies estimates somewhere between 50 and 68 percent of illegal border crossers are caught.

How reliable is that number? How can they know what they can’t even measure? What if far fewer are caught?

The House Judiciary Committee reports, “1.7 million known ‘gotaways’ have evaded Border Patrol and escaped into the interior since January 20, 2021, with untold numbers of unknown ‘gotaways’ avoiding detection during that period.”

Again, that is simply a guess, and the true number may be much higher. The number of illegal border crossers under Biden could be between 10 and 20 million, or more, close to five percent of the U.S. population.

Is the Biden administration sending any of the illegal aliens back home or are they all staying in America? In other words, “catch and release.”

The House Judiciary Committee answers, “Of the at least 2.1 million aliens released into the United States since January 20, 2021, the Biden Administration has failed to remove, through immigration court removal proceedings, roughly 99.7 percent of those illegal aliens.”

Virtually no one is sent home. They are all staying in America. Who is paying for this largess? Taxpayers of course.

As reported by the Daily Mail, “Chicago is giving $9,000 to migrants to cover their rent and help furnish their apartments.” That’s just for housing. How about pocket money for food or other expenses?

In Washington State, “A married couple of two, without children, who are eligible for RCA would get $459 if they have no income.” This is per month.

Healthcare is also free. Just show up in the nearest emergency room. If pocket money runs out, one can simply shoplift in most cities, with almost no chance of arrest.

Where are these migrants coming from? Mostly Central and South America but from anywhere else? From CBP data, about 65,000 single adults came from China during Biden’s time in office. About 40,000 single adults came from Russia.

That’s 100,000 migrants from countries hostile to U.S. interests. How many are spies? How many are military members settling into America until possibly needed at some future time? Congressman Tom Cole notes migrants from more than 150 countries have illegally crossed the border.

Thousands of "special interest aliens" from numerous countries, including the Middle East, have been arrested by CBP agents while attempting to cross the U.S. southern border illegally over the past two years, according to internal CBP data leaked to Fox News. How many more were not arrested or encountered?

The House Committee on Homeland Security reports that in 2023 to date, 151 individuals on the terrorist watchlist were stopped at the southern border. How many made it through? CBP arrested over 32,000 aliens with criminal convictions.

How many more were not arrested and are living in cities and towns near you?

These are young men of military age entering America from who knows where. For anyone who still believes it’s just poor families crossing into the U.S., Pew Research says otherwise, “By far the largest number and share of encounters involved single adults.”

This is a national security issue. The past two world wars, and subsequent wars were all fought overseas, not in the U.S. homeland. What if the war is already here, in America?

Invasions don’t always happen by ships and planes. What if we simply allow enemies to move into America, ready for activation at any time? In other words, America’s future enemy combatants may already be here.

How many of these young men might be from Hamas, Hezbollah, or other militant groups intent on causing harm in America? Or criminals? Or cartel members?

What if only one percent of these young men have malevolent intentions for America? That’s still 50,000 potential militants. Remember it only took 19 al-Qaeda terrorists to carry out the 9/11 attacks. What could 50,000 terrorists do? Will we soon find out?

Investigative journalist Laura Loomer tweeted one potential answer:

“Sources telling me that there were emergency intel meetings this weekend to discuss the rise of Hamas terror cells that are operating in American cities. These HAMAS terrorists came across the US border and are apparently planning to attack major US cities over the next 14 months.”

Trump said the same on Truth Social:

The same people that raided Israel are pouring into our once beautiful USA, through our TOTALLY OPEN SOUTHERN BORDER, at Record Numbers. Are they planning an attack within our Country? Crooked Joe Biden and his BOSS, Barack Hussein Obama, did this to us!

Aside from terror threats, drugs are also crossing the border. 110 thousand Americans died of fentanyl overdoses in 2022, almost twice the casualties in one year compared to the nearly 20 year American misadventure in Vietnam. Fentanyl deaths each year are the equivalent of 35 9/11’s.

Diseases too. New York City is enjoying a resurgence in tuberculosis, “Magnified by the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants to New York City since spring 2022” as reported by Politico. This is also coming to a city near you.

After recent events in Israel, the terror threat is a clear and present danger to America. Migrants are unvetted and released into the country. Are those with bad intentions gathering and preparing, ready to kidnap, rape, and brutally murder innocent children and young adults as Hamas did in Israel?

Republicans should be shouting, “It’s the border stupid!”. This issue will resonate with all voters, especially in Democrat run cities like New York and Chicago, now overrun with migrants that their taxpayers must support and share a city with.

Overwhelmed New York City Mayor Eric Adams whined the, “Migrant crisis will destroy New York City.” Yes, it will but isn’t NYC a proud sanctuary city?

Does America need more 9/11’s to realize the danger of a nonexistent border? We can spend hundreds of billions of dollars to secure Ukraine’s border with Russia, or Israel’s border with its hostile neighbors, but we spend nothing to fortify our own border.

What’s the probability of another terrorist attack on our homeland due to an open border and an unrestricted onslaught of migrants from God knows where? Why isn’t President Biden, his administration, and Congress prioritizing the safety and security of America over that of foreign countries?

For Republicans, this is a winning campaign issue, but they are asleep. Congress is more concerned about the cost of Taylor Swift concert tickets than doing their constitutional duty.

They need to wake up and follow their oath to, “Support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Unfortunately, the enemy is already here.

Wake up, Republicans. And America. Before it’s too late.

Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a physician and writer.

Follow me on Twitter @retinaldoctor

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See Other Commentaries by Brian C. Joondeph.

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