Dear America,

I write this letter to express my concern regarding the ongoing southern border crisis that has been occurring for the past years. The crisis at the border might be the worst we’ve seen in America History. In 2021, we saw 1.7 million encounters at the border, only to surpass that number in 2022, with a staggering 2.76 million migrant border crossings (Ainsley, 2022).

The facts point out that the ongoing Border issue results from President Biden’s actions since he has taken office.

Since President Biden has taken office, his administration has authorized several actions which, in my opinion, have undermined America’s border security and the virtue of our immigration system. The first 100 days of Biden’s presidency saw an unprecedented 94 executive actions (Bolter, 2021) on immigration, and these actions included:

• Stopping the construction of the border wall: The construction of the border wall was an executive order signed by Trump to enhance security between the America and Mexico.

• Suspending new enrollments in Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP, aka “Remain in Mexico”): The Migrant Protection Protocols are U.S. government actions that sends back foreign individuals that are entering or seeking admission to the U.S. from Mexico illegally or without proper documentation.

• Terminating Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) with Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador: The ACAs allowed migrants to seek protection within the region by facilitating cooperation between the United States and host nation governments or international organizations to expand their systems for offering humanitarian protections.

On top of that, the Biden Administration has gone even further in its efforts to eliminate Title 42 - a law currently enforced by the Border Patrol that gives the government the power to stop people entering the US in order to keep diseases out of the country, such as COVID-19 (Buren, 2022). While the courts have intervened and prevented the Biden Administration from entirely eliminating it, the Biden Administration continues to fight for the title’s removal, and a final decision is expected to be made in mid-2023.

Furthermore, the Biden Administration’s efforts to combat the root causes of migration have been proposals to increase additional foreign assistance. The additional foreign aid is an increase of funding on an already existing amount of support going to Central America's countries to implement the new “U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America.” The strategy takes the root causes of migration. It puts them into five pillars, offering several approaches for each:

1. Addressing economic insecurity and inequality;

2. Combating corruption, strengthening democratic governance, and advancing the rule of law;

3. Promoting respect for human rights, labor rights, and a free press;

4. Countering and preventing violence, extortion, and other crimes perpetrated by criminal gangs, trafficking networks, and other organized criminal organizations;

5. Combating sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence.

While I agree with the idea of addressing the root causes of migration and improving these countries' economic conditions, the administration's current approach faces three major obstacles. The first is that the policies do not incentivize these countries to strengthen their migration management and border security policies. Instead, these countries depend heavily on American taxpayer money to fix societal and economic issues. Second, another factor the Biden Administration is slowly finding out is that corruption runs rampant in these countries, and it’s been like that historically for many Central American countries, much worse than in America. It’s not uncommon for local and multinational companies to deal consistently with bribery, domestic violence, and drug cartels. Especially in Mexico, it is known that if companies want to do any business, they have to deal with the drug cartels - which often means giving them a slice of the cut. Unfortunately, this type of corruption often deters many US companies from wanting to invest in these countries. Lastly, what the Biden Administration has failed to take into consideration is that people come to America for a better living. The legal wages that U.S. companies offer people in America are far higher than one can expect to receive in these Central American countries. With all that is said, it should be no surprise that this strategy has failed to slow down the migration.

Recently, the Biden Administration has revealed a border policy that attempts to slow down the number of illegal border crossings by opening new pathways for legal immigration from certain countries. As President Biden states, “If you’re trying to leave Cuba, Nicaragua, or Haiti ... do not just show up at the border. Stay where you are and apply legally.” The new policy will allow up to 30,000 people per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti to enter the country and legally work for up to two years if they have an eligible sponsor and pass background checks—expanding on a previous measure that limited the number of people from just Venezuela. Those who enter without authorization could be expelled to Mexico, and anyone attempting to enter the country without permission or a legal basis to stay can be sent back (Roush, 2022).

The effects of an Open Border – Domestically

The actions taken by the Biden Administration on the border have had many severe consequences for the American people. I want to address several of these concerns that have escalated since the Biden Administration has taken office.

The inflow of Migrants into American Cities

Once these migrants enter America, they are being shipped out to cities across the United States. Most of these cities are self-proclaimed “Sanctuary Cities,” a term that has been used to describe a city that limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents to protect low-priority immigrants from deportation. However, many of these cities, if not most, have demonstrated that they are unprepared to handle the large number of migrants entering the cities. It has put a strain on city officials to handle the influx of migrants that shows no signs of slowing down. Mayor Adams, who initially embraced migrants coming into NYC, has had a difficult time being able to house and feed these migrants. He expressed concern that there needs to be a way to solve this issue without bankrupting the State of NYC (Sheehan, 2023). I’m sorry, Mayor Adams, but putting migrants in sports stadiums and hotels is not a sustainable long-term strategy. It also reflects poorly when taxpayer-funded food for migrants is being wasted because they won’t eat American food. It’s also nice to know that we can afford to feed migrants, but not our homeless.

On top of the costs associated with housing and feeding these migrants, I can’t help but question their plan to assimilate millions of migrants into the American workforce. How will the American workforce handle millions of migrants during a recession? Will these millions of migrants be on some welfare as they learn to get adjusted? This is not the obligation of the American taxpayer.

Fentanyl

Additionally, a recent report indicated that most of the fentanyl entering the United States is coming through the southern border.  For those unfamiliar, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Today, Mexico's criminal cartels are increasingly focused on the production and distribution of fentanyl, given its demand in the Mexican and American markets. With the help of China, Mexican Cartels can import the chemical ingredients needed from China and manufacture the drugs before selling them across the border.

As a result, over the past couple of years, America has faced the single deadliest drug threat the nation has ever encountered. We are witnessing the destruction and impact that fentanyl has on Americans, resulting in the deaths of 71,000 in 2021. Those numbers are expected to have been higher in 2022, though the official data has not been released. It is reported that in five years spanning from 2018 – 2022, the estimated number of fentanyl deaths is to be around 300,000 (Nelson, 2023). What makes fentanyl even scarier is that drug dealers are creating fentanyl pills and powers that come in various bright colors, shapes, and sizes to lure children and young adults into addiction.

Criminals

Since President Biden took office, the number of criminals arrested at the border has increased yearly. In 2020, the number of criminals arrested was 2,438, which increased in 2021 to 10,763 arrests, only for that number to increase again in 2022, with 12,028 criminal arrests (“Criminal Noncitizen Statistics Fiscal Year 2023”). To provide a perspective, in June of 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) released a report that indicated that Border Patrol agents were catching an average of three migrants with criminal records per day in the El Paso sector (“Criminals Intercepted at the Border Continue | U.S. Customs and Border Protection”).

CBP defines these individuals as foreigners “who have been convicted of a crime, whether in the United States or abroad, so long as the conviction is for conduct deemed criminal by the United States. The list of arrests includes criminal convictions for assault, battery, domestic violence, burglary, robbery, homicide, manslaughter, sexual offenses, and illegal drug possession, among others. Additionally, some criminals come from notorious dangerous gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).

Terrorism

Along with the increase of criminals entering the United States, we’ve also seen an increase in suspected terrorists entering the United States. In my opinion, the withdrawal of Afghanistan signaled to the world how the Biden Administration would respond to terrorism and aggression moving forward. It’s hard to forget President Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan without concrete plans to protect Americans and Afghan citizens or prevent the Taliban from taking over the country. The disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan left billions of dollars worth of US military weapons and equipment. Additionally, a report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reported that it was estimated that we left behind thousands of American citizens in Afghanistan (George, 2022).

As a result, it should be no coincidence that suspected terrorists crossing the border have also increased. In January 2023, the Border Patrol agents caught 12 illegal immigrants whose names popped on the terrorism watchlist, bringing the total of suspected terrorists caught so far in 2023 to 21 (Dinan, 2023). At this pace, we are on track to beat last year’s total of 98 terrorism suspects. To provide some context, during President Trump’s administration (2017-2020), only 11 terrorism suspects were caught. The current concern is that these terrorists are just the ones that were caught, which means some may have already entered.

The effects of an Open Border – Internationally

We must not be oblivious to the consequences that an open Border has had not only on America, but also in these southern countries. The symbolic meaning behind an open border has encouraged migrants to come to America despite the dangerous risk associated with the travel. Let’s address these issues in detail, starting with the rise of violence and criminal activity from drug cartels.

Drug Cartels

Mexico and Guatemala are notorious for their drug cartels and the influence and power that these cartels have on both national and local levels. The open border has presented an opportunity for these cartels to enrich themselves through human and drug trafficking and have used the chaos to take control of the border. In other words, these criminal organizations actively fuel and benefit from illegal migration by taking advantage of vulnerable migrants and have created elaborate and lucrative smuggling and trafficking operations. To provide some perspective, these cartels can charge up to $20,000 per migrant in an attempt to sneak into America. They are actively engaged at every stage of the illegal migration process. This includes everything from encouraging the journey, fraudulent documents, security, transportation, lodging, and foot guides to avoid detection. However, it’s not unusual for these smugglers to abuse and exploit migrants, and in some cases, they raise prices mid-journey or abandon them in unsafe conditions.

Additionally, the border chaos has allowed drug cartels to target and exploit vulnerable migrants, especially those traveling in illegal caravans. Some are tricked into working for these cartels, while others are kidnapped and even sexually assaulted. Even for the migrants not directly dealing with the drug cartels, they can find themselves in the crossfires of dangerous turf wars between rival cartels and police shootouts.

It is concerning that, for the drug cartels, human trafficking has become a multibillion-dollar business in itself – in addition to their notorious drug operations – which has only made the drug cartel that much more powerful and tougher to take down (Jordan, 2023).

In an interview with CNN, Craig Larrabee, from Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio, provides insight into the cartels, stating, “In the past, smuggling organizations were mom-and-pop…Now, they are organized and tied in with the cartels. So you have a criminal organization who has no regard for the safety of the migrants. They are treated like commodities rather than people” (Sanchez, 2023).

Dangerous Terrains & Weather

On top of dealing with dangerous drug cartels, migrants also face dangerous terrains and extremely volatile weather conditions depending on the season. There are many stories of those who have drowned in the Rio Grande, especially the migrants that take the dangerous journey at night. In the summer, it’s also not rare for many to die from heat exhaustion and dehydration, given the extremely high temperatures in the desert regions. The summer also presents another challenge for those smuggled in large semi-trucks. These semi-trucks are packed with hundreds of people squished together with no ventilation for air or air conditioning. Temperatures can even reach 125–130 degrees when the doors are shut. Just this year, there was an incident where 53 bodies were found stacked together, dead, in San Antonio; one of many tragedies that has happened over the past couple of years (Sanchez, 2023).

Currently, this winter, temperatures have been reaching freezing levels. There are reports of migrants sleeping in flimsy tents, in the streets, and bare-bone shelters as they battle the extreme cold down by the border (Becerril and Solomon, 2023).

Closing Remarks

I wrote this letter to express my concern about what is happening at the southern border. Though I’m not sure I am the right person to enumerate solutions, I hope there are a few that may be sufficient. Unfortunately, I don’t have much faith in America’s strategy in tackling the root causes of migration due to the corruption and lack of enforcement of these ideals in southern countries, which is not solely America’s fault. A part of me feels that this money is not going to the hands of those that need it but rather to the corrupt politicians and drug cartels. That said, if we choose to learn from history, it is that America can’t expect to give away money and not see it backfire on some level.

On a broad level, I would recommend the following:

• Going after the drug cartels by declaring them a terrorist organization and disrupting their economic revenue.  Akin to America’s response to Russian oligarchs in the Ukraine war, we should freeze any of the cartel’s American assets.

• Finish building back the wall and putting the necessary infrastructure and technology behind it. Let the wall symbolize to the rest of the world that we will not just let anyone come into our country.

• Hold other countries accountable to do their part to manage migration through their national territories. The burden should not be put solely on the United States. Have other countries know there will be repercussions for failing to improve the migration issue.

• Send more U.S. assistance down to the border to help with border security and asylum processing capacity.

• Cutting off economic aid to the southern countries involved in the “U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America” unless they can prove that substantial and measurable efforts were made in the five pillars listed

We can have both a safe border and encourage migrants to come to America safely and legally. I come from a family of immigrants, and I understand that many who come to America do so because they have no choice. Many are forced to leave because they come to our country hoping for a better life, one their own country cannot afford to give them. To this day I believe that some of the hardest-working people come from Mexico, El Salvador, and other southern countries. I know this because these people are my neighbors, friends, and the children of the parents that took this risk so they could provide their children with opportunities they never had. For that reason alone, I will always support people coming here legally and finding their American dream. At the same time, I want this country to be safe for the Americans already living here and for the future Americans that will soon be here as well.

Signed,

G.S.P.

Works Cited

Ainsley, Julia. “Migrant Border Crossings in Fiscal Year 2022 Topped 2.76 Million, Breaking Previous Record.” NBC News, 22 Oct. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/migrant-border-crossings-fiscal-year-2022-topped-276-million-breaking-rcna53517.

Becerril, Daniel, and Daina Beth Solomon. “Migrants Face Freezing Christmas at U.S.-Mexico Border.” Reuters, 25 Dec. 2022, www.reuters.com/world/americas/where-else-can-i-go-migrants-face-freezing-christmas-us-mexico-border-2022-12-24/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2023.

Bolter, Muzaffar Chishti, Jessica Bolter Muzaffar Chishti and Jessica. “Border Challenges Dominate, but Biden’s First 100 Days Mark Notable Under-The-Radar Immigration Accomplishments.” Migrationpolicy.org, 26 Apr. 2021, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/biden-100-days-immigration-reform-border. Accessed 9 Oct. 2022.

Buren, Peter Van. “Title 42 and You.” The American Conservative, 16 Jan. 2023, www.theamericanconservative.com/title-42-and-you/.

“Criminal Noncitizen Statistics Fiscal Year 2023.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2022, www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement-statistics/criminal-noncitizen-statistics.

“Criminals Intercepted at the Border Continue | U.S. Customs and Border Protection.” Www.cbp.gov, 3 June 2023, www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/criminals-intercepted-border-continue. Accessed 24 Jan. 2023.

Dinan, Stephen. “12 Terrorism Suspects Nabbed Sneaking across Southern Border, according to DHS Data.” The Washington Times, 6 Jan. 2023, www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/6/12-terrorism-suspects-nabbed-sneaking-across-south/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.

George, Liz. “Biden Abandoned as Many as 9,000 Americans in Afghanistan, New Report Shows.” American Military News, 7 Feb. 2022, americanmilitarynews.com/2022/02/biden-abandoned-as-many-as-9000-americans-in-afghanistan-new-report-shows/.

House, The White, and Hie Biden. “Remarks by President Biden on Border Security and Enforcement.” The White House, 5 Jan. 2023, www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/01/05/remarks-by-president-biden-on-border-security-and-enforcement/.

Jordan, Miriam. “Smuggling Migrants at the Border Now a Billion-Dollar Business.” The New York Times, 25 July 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/07/25/us/migrant-smuggling-evolution.html.

Nelson, Steven. “Biden Botches Fentanyl Death Statistics When Raising Issue with Mexican Prez.” NY Post, 10 Jan. 2023, nypost.com/2023/01/09/biden-botches-fentanyl-death-statistics-when-raising-issue-with-mexican-prez/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.

Roush, Ty. “Biden Administration Unveils New Border Policy to Stem Unauthorized Crossings—Here’s What to Know.” Forbes, www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/01/05/biden-administration-unveils-new-border-policy-to-stem-unauthorized-crossings-heres-what-to-know/?sh=65b105cb3530. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.

Sanchez, Ray. “On a Texas Road Called “the Mouth of the Wolf,” a Semitruck Packed with Migrants Was Abandoned in the Sweltering Heat.” CNN, June 2023, www.cnn.com/2022/06/29/us/san-antonio-migrant-truck-deaths/index.html.

Sheehan, Kevin. “Eric Adams Says Migrant Crisis Could Bankrupt NYC — Still Won’t Blame Biden.” NY POST, 4 Jan. 2023, nypost.com/2023/01/04/eric-adams-says-migrant-crisis-could-bankrupt-nyc-still-wont-blame-biden/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2023.