Due to an education-related hiatus, many waters have flowed under the bridge regarding criminal justice and political-related matters since my last writing. However, one item still maintains daily headlines: America’s Southern border. Even though this has been a decades-long problematic and controversial issue, it has never been as monumental as in today’s times. Legal entry into one’s country has always been on the political chopping block; deciding who and how a person could become a resident or seek refuge in a non-native country has left all with one prominent response, “It’s complicated.” This forever reply is once again at the forefront in America’s politics, and the criminal justice system.
The title of this article may have been confusing to some a few years ago but today it is easy to decipher; border issues belong to every state and every person. In being a resident of a large city in South Texas, I have had a front-row seat to this United States-Mexico border dilemma. Residents of South Texas are reading and watching daily news reports relating to the huge influx of migrants, along with human trafficking and drug smuggling endeavors. Not only are we following them on social media sites, but a drive around this city reveals the complexities of a massive insurgence of people coming into Texas and the United States, many of them illegally.
In December of 2023, a walloping 12,000 migrants were crossing our southern border “per day,” and currently federal and state agencies are reporting a decrease in these numbers to 5,000 per day. When viewing these figures, bear in mind that these statistics only reflect individuals who are encountered, and/or apprehended. Others are entering the United States via alternative methods, which can be expensive and extremely dangerous.
Where do these people go, who takes care of them, and at what expense? Some migrants are sent back across the border or transported to their native country, while others are taken care of by cities, counties, individual states, and non-profit organizations, along with our federal government absorbing some of the expenses. A few are fortunate and have friends or family members awaiting them. While others seek out comrades from criminal or terror organizations. Unfortunately, some perish while making their long journey to freedom, these numbers are uncountable.
During the past few years, familiar headlines have been making the news. Organizations in San Antonio, Eagle Pass, and El Paso, to name just a few, are running out of money and space to take care of migrants who remain in our country. Several large, sanctuary cities are irritated because the governor of Texas buses some of the millions in his state to their location, but disbursing these individuals has become a necessity. Apparently, their thinking is that Texas should absorb the vast expenses and challenges of those coming across its border, without help from others. This scenario has indeed opened the window for America to see, and experience America’s Southern Border problem.
Accompanying these headlines are heartbreaking stories about migrants dying while being smuggled in tractor-trailer units, train cars, and individual vehicles by outlaw organizations that have no regard for human life, just money. Millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs are being confiscated by law enforcement agencies weekly; kudos to them, all while trying to cope with the daily surge of migrants. I could go all day about the crime rate associated with this surge, but this is for another day.
By now, you get the picture. The United States has a huge southern border problem which has compounded into a humanitarian, economic, and political issue. As many other countries around the world have done, the United States must shore up its southern border, and post-haste. Facing and combating this problem full throttle is a necessity. Money this will take but it would only be a drop in the bucket compared to the expenses that our southern states and communities (and now, some northern cities) are experiencing. America welcomes and has always welcomed immigrants, but not in ways that we have seen in most recent years. Keep America strong, keep America, America; it is the American way!