The GOP has never wanted to address the border issues. They need the ‘crisis’ to energize the Nativist Bigot segment of their base.
Opinion | The Republicans’ Border Crisis
“The politics of immigration are well known. But let’s step away from the Beltway mud-wrestle for a moment to acknowledge the practical, unavoidable result of Mr. Trump’s position. Doing nothing so that he and Republicans will have an issue to run on means the migrant open hydrant will flow daily for all of 2024. And that means an additional two million or so illegal migrants will enter the U.S.
If the Republicans have been screaming bloody murder about migrant crossings and are on the brink of impeaching Mr. Mayorkas for not doing his duty, how can they justify allowing the Mayorkas policy to continue unabated all this year?”
Republicans Against Border Enforcement
“Many in the party have decided to oppose a bipartisan plan for the border.”
“Political benefits
Many Republicans, including Trump and members of Congress, have decided to oppose the plan for political reasons. They think they are likely to do better in this year’s elections if the immigration problem festers and they can blame Biden. “Let me tell you,” Troy Nehls, a House Republican from Texas, told CNN last month, “I’m not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden’s approval rating.”
Republicans justify their opposition mostly by pointing to one provision: an emergency measure that would force the president to virtually shut the southern border when undocumented daily migrant encounters rose above 5,000. This measure, the critics say, would authorize 5,000 illegal entries every day. But that claim is misleading: By the same logic, the current system allows unlimited daily entries. Even more important, the Senate proposal includes many other measures to make entry harder.
Among them:
- The bill would raise the standard for migrants to pass an initial asylum screening. Today, even many with weak asylum claims can remain in the country. The bill would also allow U.S. officials to deport more people who fail the screening within a week of their arrival.
- Congress would pay to hire thousands of additional border personnel and 100 more immigration judges, who in turn could reduce the backlog of cases. Faster resolution would allow admitted migrants to get on with their lives, while the government could send others home more quickly.
- The bill would finance the purchase of 100 new machines for detecting fentanyl at the border and increase penalties for trafficking.
- Separately, the bill would expand legal immigration by a modest amount and allow admitted migrants to receive work permits more quickly. (Here’s a Times summary of the bill.)
Together, these measures would shift the calculus for potential migrants. Because the chances of illegal entry would fall, fewer people would likely try — and more would instead try a legal pathway.”
THIS:
This is an awesome speech!
Biden and the Border:
WSJ Editorial Board Comes Out Hard in Favor of Border Bill: ‘Will Republicans Now Abandon What They Claimed to Want?’
READ: Text of senators’ proposed border deal and foreign aid package
Joe: GOP has come to the conclusion that what’s good for America is bad for Trump
“Many House Republicans have been publicly trashing the bipartisan Senate border deal without actually having seen the text because it’s not been made available yet. Joe Scarborough reacts to Republicans who have expressed opposition to the deal.”
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
The Donald Trump GOP has two voting blocs, Evangelicals “Abortion!” and Nativist Bigots “Border!” Sadly, there is some overlap,
68% of white evangelicals think America shouldn’t house refugees
“A recent Pew poll reveals increasing American polarization on attitudes to refugees.”
White evangelical Protestants are the most likely religious group to say that the United States has no responsibility to open its borders to refugees, according to a recent poll.
The study, which was conducted by Pew, found that 68 percent of white evangelicals believed that the United States “does not have a responsibility” to house refugees, while just 25 percent believes that it does. This is higher than the American national average: 51 percent of Americans overall believe the United States does have a responsibility to allow in refugees, while just 43 percent believe it does not.
The perspective of white evangelical Protestants on the refugee crisis is particularly striking because it’s relatively unusual among Christian religious groups. For example, 43 percent of white mainline Protestants believe that America has a responsibility to house refugees, as do 50 percent of Catholics and 63 percent of black Protestants. The highest level of support from any group cited in the study was from those who identified as religiously unaffiliated, of whom a full 65 percent support American housing of refugees.”
The GOP has a Long History of NOT wanting to address the border
June 29, 2007: Immigration Bill Loses, Falls On The Floor
“Members of Bush’s Republican Party played the largest role in defeating the measure.”
August 1, 2014: Senate Republicans Block $2.7 Billion Border-Funding Bill
“House Republicans struggled today to corral members for a vote Friday on their own border bill, but the Senate bill’s failure ensures that Congress will not send a border measure – much less the $3.7 billion in funding he requested – to President Obama’s desk before its August recess.”
Then:
House passes $4.5B border funding bill
“06/25/19 9:52 PM E
The House passed a $4.5 billion border funding bill in a 230-195 vote on Tuesday after last-minute changes were made to the legislation to sway progressive and Latino lawmakers who previously weren’t on board.”
Now:
Jan 25, 2024 – Mitch McConnell Under Fire After Reported Trump-Driven Flip on Border Bill
“According to quotes reported by PunchBowl News and CNN, McConnell is alleged to have said at the meeting that discussions around securing the border have flipped for the Republicans, and that the party should now not do anything that may “undermine” Trump, the GOP’s presumed 2024 presidential nominee.”
Saying the quiet part out loud
House Republican Admits He’ll Kill Border Deal If It Helps Biden
“Texas Representative Troy Nehls showed his true colors on Wednesday, refusing to back any sort of border deal because he claimed it could help President Joe Biden’s slumping poll numbers.
“Let me tell you, I’m not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden’s approval rating,” the MAGA Republican told CNN.”
THIS:
Now the GOP has No Desire to fix immigration or the border. Never will. Need that ‘issue’ to energize their base of bigoted nativism. No more funding for immigration judges, courtrooms or staff.
THIS:
The Facts:
An older awesome Robert Reich video
This is all lies by Ted Cruz! I replied with the facts.
The Study:
Criminal Immigrants in Texas in 2019: Illegal Immigrant Conviction Rates and Arrest Rates for Homicide, Sex Crimes, Larceny, and Other Crimes
“The results in this updated brief show that in Texas in 2019, illegal immigrants were 37.1 percent less likely to be convicted of a crime than native‐born Americans and legal immigrants were about 57.2 percent less likely to be convicted of a crime than native‐born Americans. The conviction and arrest rates for illegal immigrants were lower than those for native‐born Americans but higher than those for legal immigrants. This result holds for just about every type of crime, including homicide, sex crimes, larceny, and most other crimes.”
“Conclusion
Texas is the only state that keeps the records of the immigration statuses of those arrested and convicted of state‐level crimes, thus giving the public its best opportunity to study the crime rates of illegal immigrants compared to other groups. Illegal immigrants were 27.7 percent less likely to be convicted of homicide than native‐born Americans in Texas in 2019. For all crimes in Texas in 2019, illegal immigrants had a criminal conviction rate 37.1 percent below that of native‐born Americans. Legal immigrants had a criminal conviction rate 57.2 percent below that of native‐born Americans.”
Some dirty words (HBO) but Jon Oliver explains explains how the border is NOT open
Seized is a GOOD thing:
Facts are Facts:
Fentanyl Is Smuggled for U.S. Citizens By U.S. Citizens, Not Asylum Seekers
“Here are facts:
- Fentanyl smuggling is ultimately funded by U.S. consumers who pay for illicit opioids: nearly 99 percent of whom are U.S. citizens.
- In 2021, U.S. citizens were 86.3 percent of convicted fentanyl drug traffickers—ten times greater than convictions of illegal immigrants for the same offense.
- Over 90 percent of fentanyl seizures occur at legal crossing points or interior vehicle checkpoints, not on illegal migration routes, so U.S. citizens (who are subject to less scrutiny) when crossing legally are the best smugglers.
- The location of smuggling makes sense because hard drugs at ports of entry are about 97 percent less likely to be stopped than are people crossing illegally between them.
- Just 0.02 percent of the people arrested by Border Patrol for crossing illegally possessed any fentanyl whatsoever.
- The government exacerbated the problem by banning most legal cross border traffic in 2020 and 2021, accelerating a switch to fentanyl (the easiest‐to‐conceal drug).
- During the travel restrictions, fentanyl seizures at ports quadrupled from fiscal year 2019 to 2021. Fentanyl went from a third of combined heroin and fentanyl seizures to over 90 percent.
- Annual deaths from fentanyl nearly doubled from 2019 to 2021 after the government banned most travel (and asylum).”
Myth vs. Truth: Dissecting the Republican narrative about the border
9 MYTHS ABOUT IMMIGRATION (AND WHY THEY’RE WRONG)
The GOP does not even see the Irony!
Miami, Not The Border,
The fentanyl trip: How the drug is coming to America
“Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told ABC News that the majority of fentanyl that his office has confiscated is in the form of counterfeit pills that are delivered in the mail.”
Fentanyl: China’s Deadly Export to the United States
Biden’s Border Policy Is Not “Open Borders”
“Practically since his first week in office, President Joe Biden has faced repeated criticisms from Republicans and some Democrats that his border policy amounts to “open borders.” This criticism is not simply inaccurate: it is unhinged from reality in a way that distinguishes itself from normal political hyperbole. Indeed, U.S. immigration policy is effectively closed borders, and Biden’s immigration policies and goals are largely the same as those of President Donald Trump.”
We are not being inundated with unauthorized immigrant
Far fewer unauthorized immigrants living in Arizona cities than 10 years ago, Pew says
The GOP Doesn’t Care about Doing Anything to Help at the Border
Humanitarian Border Supplemental – H.R.3401
“HR 3401, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act. The bill provides $4.6 billion to address the growing humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border caused by the large influx of immigrants seeking asylum. In particular, it provides $2.9 billion for Health and Human Services Department care of unaccompanied minors who cross the border; the department’s funding for that purpose is nearly exhausted. The Senate Appropriations Committee last week by a 30-1 vote reported its own $4.6 billion bill (S 1900) that was negotiated by Senate Republicans and Democrats, which the White House supports. House Democratic appropriators sought to negotiate their own version with Republican appropriators but were unable to reach agreement — and on Friday introduced their own version to bring to the House floor.”
H.R.3401 Vote
Dear FoxNews, Seizures <> Open Border
FoxNews Lied:
El Paso Crime?
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Bakersfield, California?
BAKERSFIELD, CA CRIME ANALYTICS
“Fentanyl!!!” has replaced “Caravans!” as the GOP Battle Cry
Fentanyl Is Smuggled for U.S. Citizens By U.S. Citizens, Not Asylum Seekers
“Fentanyl overdoses tragically caused tens of thousands of preventable deaths last year. Many politicians who want to end U.S. asylum law claim that immigrants crossing the border illegally are responsible. An NPR‐Ipsos poll last week found that 39 percent of Americans and 60 percent of Republicans believe, “Most of the fentanyl entering the U.S. is smuggled in by unauthorized migrants crossing the border illegally.” A more accurate summary is that fentanyl is overwhelmingly smuggled by U.S. citizens almost entirely for U.S. citizen consumers.
Here are facts:
Fentanyl smuggling is ultimately funded by U.S. consumers who pay for illicit opioids: nearly 99 percent of whom are U.S. citizens.
In 2021, U.S. citizens were 86.3 percent of convicted fentanyl drug traffickers—ten times greater than convictions of illegal immigrants for the same offense.
Over 90 percent of fentanyl seizures occur at legal crossing points or interior vehicle checkpoints, not on illegal migration routes, so U.S. citizens (who are subject to less scrutiny) when crossing legally are the best smugglers.
The location of smuggling makes sense because hard drugs at ports of entry are about 97 percent less likely to be stopped than are people crossing illegally between them.
Just 0.02 percent of the people arrested by Border Patrol for crossing illegally possessed any fentanyl whatsoever.
The government exacerbated the problem by banning most legal cross border traffic in 2020 and 2021, accelerating a switch to fentanyl (the easiest‐to‐conceal drug).
During the travel restrictions, fentanyl seizures at ports quadrupled from fiscal year 2019 to 2021. Fentanyl went from a third of combined heroin and fentanyl seizures to over 90 percent.
Annual deaths from fentanyl nearly doubled from 2019 to 2021 after the government banned most travel (and asylum).”
The GOP’s myth of an ‘open border’
“The U.S. borders are guarded by a vast and well-funded national security agency that has grown far larger and more powerful in recent years.”
“This year, most Senate Republicans voted not to fund the government, thereby choosing not to vote for even 1 cent for the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and also Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 2022 omnibus appropriations bill not only funded the nation’s border security, but it also had Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for food and shelter to help border communities manage migration. Ultimately, the “no” votes by the majority of Senate Republicans for investing in infrastructure and funding the federal government were overcome, and these massive investments in border security enhancements were signed into law by President Joe Biden.”
Senate Republicans balk on funds related to Biden’s border move
“Senate Republicans on Tuesday threw cold water on the possibility of supplemental funding, which might be used to shore up border patrol activities, fund detention centers, or provide food, shelter, and medical care for migrants.”
There is no Border Crisis. This is just a GOP Talking Point.
U.S. border cities again see low violent crime rates
The Mythical Link Between Immigrants and High Crime Rates
“Decades of research has largely rejected claims associating immigrants with higher crime. A new Governing analysis finds the same to be true for undocumented immigrants in particular.”
When Texas Governor Abbott and Florida Governor Desantis lie to people seeking asylum and then sends them north, it is a page out of an old racist playbook:
“To embarrass Northern liberals and humiliate Black people, southern White Citizens Councils started their so-called “Reverse Freedom Rides,” giving Black people one-way tickets to northern cities with false promises of jobs, housing, and better lives.”
Look:
No One Can Control Who Gets To Our Border
The facts behind the high number of migrants arriving at the border under Biden
“The soaring number of migrant arrivals along the U.S. southern border over the past year and a half has fueled dire humanitarian challenges, strained government resources and created a political liability for President Biden.”
Despite the recent record levels of migrant arrests, there were more unlawful entries in the mid and early 2000s, when the U.S had fewer resources and personnel to apprehend border-crossers, according to government data obtained by CBS News. An unusually high rate of repeat crossings during the coronavirus pandemic has also inflated the border arrest tallies.”
Record Arrests <> Open Border
“Border arrests have reached record levels”
“Border Patrol, an agency within Customs and Border Protection (CBP), apprehends migrants who enter the U.S. illegally in between ports of entry. The Office of Field Operations, another CBP agency, facilitates commercial, pedestrian and other forms of lawful traffic, while processing migrants who seek asylum at ports of entry, which is legal under U.S. law.
In fiscal year 2021, which included Mr. Biden’s first eight full months in office, Border Patrol recorded 1.66 million arrests along the southern border, surpassing the previous all-time high of 1.64 million arrests set in 2000, CBP data show.
During the first 10 months of fiscal year 2022, Border Patrol agents along the Mexican border reported more than 1.8 million apprehensions, a new record high that will likely surpass 2 million when fiscal year 2023 starts in October, according to the CBP figures.”
“An unprecedented demographic shift”
“While Border Patrol apprehensions involving migrants from countries beyond Mexico and Central America’s Northern Triangle stood at 9% in fiscal year 2019, they jumped to 22% in 2021 and to 40% in 2022.”
“But many migrants have been quickly expelled”
“Since March 2020, U.S. border agents have used a public health law known as Title 42 to quickly expel hundreds of thousands of migrants to northern Mexico or directly to their home country without allowing them to request asylum.
In fiscal year 2021, 63%, or just over 1 million, of Border Patrol apprehensions resulted in migrants being expelled under Title 42, government data show. Nearly 50% of the 1.8 million Border Patrol arrests in the first 10 months of fiscal year 2022 turned into rapid expulsions to Mexico or migrants’ home country.”
“And border arrests don’t equal individual migrants”
“While 2021 and 2022 have set records for border arrests, Border Patrol apprehensions don’t equate to individual migrants. For example, one migrant who illegally crossed the border three times in one month after being expelled to Mexico twice is counted as three apprehensions.”
“After hovering below 15% in the preceding years, including at 7% in 2019, the Border Patrol recidivism rate jumped to 26% in 2020 and 27% in 2021, CBP data show. In fiscal year 2022, over a quarter of all Border Patrol apprehensions have involved migrants who had been previously arrested by the agency.”
“Undetected unlawful crossings were likely higher in the 2000s”
Border Patrol apprehensions along the southern border in 2021 and 2022 have each surpassed the 1.64 million arrests the agency recorded in 2000, a figure that stood as the record high for two decades.
However, Border Patrol now has a significantly superior apprehension rate than in the early 2000s due to improved surveillance technology, more enforcement resources and thousands of additional agents.”
Primary Source – Encounters <> Open Border
CBP Enforcement Statistics Fiscal Year 2022
Arrests are a GOOD Thing FoxNews
Border Patrol arrests of migrants on terror watch list at southern border spike under Biden
“In Fiscal Year 2022 there have been 50 arrests of migrants on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) at the southern border by Border Patrol between ports of entry.
MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER HIT NEW RECORD IN MAY, AS NUMBERS KEEP RISING
That’s compared to 15 in FY21, which was up from three in FY20 and zero in FY19. There were six in FY18 and two in FY17 — meaning that the numbers this year are already higher than the previous five years combined.”
Mexican border arrests hit new record last year
“U.S. agents made 1.9 million arrests during the surge in crossing attempts, but released fewer migrants into the U.S. versus prior years”
The new GOP mantra is Fentanyl instead of Caravans
Gone too soon: Fentanyl flowing from China
“Fentanyl is either shipped to the US directly via international mail or shipped via Mexico.”
Drug Arrests <> Open Border
CBP arrests 7 gang members, intercepts 825 lbs. of fentanyl, meth at border
“Over the course of one week, Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico and Andrade ports of entry in San Diego stopped seven different drug trafficking attempts.
The total worth of the intercepted substances is approximately $3 million.
Separately, Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol captured seven gang members and two sex offenders in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, and apprehended a migrant previously convicted of assaulting a minor.”
Again, Ask FoxNews!
Border officials in Texas make largest cocaine bust in 20 years inside baby wipe shipment
“1,935 packages of cocaine worth an estimated $11,818,400 seized near Laredo, Texas”
Ask CBP!
