New records: People, criminals, and fentanyl crossing the border
People. How many people are actually crossing the border? Transparency such at is, leaves us guessing. In March, apprehensions at the southern border were the highest in 20 years: 171,000. This includes 18,800 unaccompanied minors. The previous record was 11,434. The rule of thumb is that 20% or more of border crossers aren’t apprehended, which means our illegal population is soaring. The number of crossers seeking asylum has not been reported and is not included in apprehensions. A senator from Oklahoma, James Lankford, provided a video showing a swarm of prospective asylees being paroled on the spot. Later they were dropped off at a bus station in McAllen, Texas. There are more than 60 stations on the southern border processing parolees. How many people will be granted asylum? Who knows, but once asylum is granted, they are eligible for a host of welfare benefits and under the proposed immigration law it’s feasible to become an American citizen in 3 years. It used to take a minimum of 6.
Criminals. In January and February border patrol apprehensions included 4,140 criminals. This number is relatively low. Are there fewer criminals entering in 2021? Maybe not. The border patrol is no longer apprehending people if they have criminal records for “drug crimes (less serious offenses), simple assault, DUI, money laundering, property crimes, fraud, tax crimes, solicitation, or charges without convictions.” I guess, team Biden independently decided it was optional for immigrants to have good moral character.
More criminals are on the way. Per the proposed new immigration law all people that lived in the US for 3 years prior to being deported for any reason while Donald Trump was president can apply to be a lawful permanent resident from outside the United States. Ninety percent of the 936,000 deported were undocumented, and about half were deported for crimes.
Why would the US tempt people deported for crimes to apply to be a lawful permanent resident? Per ICE, 30-80 percent of released criminal illegals are reoffenders, and the severity of crimes often escalates. Between 2010 and 2016 re-offenders committed 130 murders.
Fentanyl. It originates in China, but most fentanyl in America is trafficked across the US southern border.In 2019, ICE seized enough fentanyl to poison every American. In 2020, border patrol seizures for fentanyl doubled. Through March 3, 2021 there have been more fentanyl seizures than all of 2020. How much gets through? Enough to keep the cartels interested and enough to kill an increasing number of Americans. In 2019, there were 35,000 fentanyl related deaths. In 2020, it was 44,000. Preliminary data for 2021 suggests another record.
Human smuggling. According to the Survey of Migration at Mexico’s Southern Border, 60-65% of migrants from Central America are smuggled into the United States. On March 31 and April 1, one of the 20 border patrol sector stations interrupted 5 human smuggling operations. Looks like the US is on track for a record here too. The Biden Administration looks like a machine for generating undesirable records.