The Border Crisis: Learning from the Past

          The United States faces a crisis at its southern border: millions of migrants, both illegal and legal, pour into the nation at sustained record highs, causing concerns about high rates of homelessness along the border and in sanctuary cities; crimes committed by previously convicted felons; and strains on infrastructural and economic resources. Comparing the border policies of the Trump and Biden administrations illuminates that the U.S. government must remember the order of priorities and its responsibilities to the people so our leaders can better address this domestic crisis.

          Over his term, former President Donald Trump worked to minimize illegal immigration and collaborated with Latin American countries on  the immigration process. 450 miles of wall along the Southern border were built under Trump, along with, according to the Trump Administration’s statements, an 87 percent decrease in illegal crossings. The Trump administration enforced pre-existing immigration laws and, notably, terminated the ‘Catch and Release’ policy which released into the U.S. migrants awaiting their court hearings instead of keeping them detained. Trump replaced these policies with the Migrant Protection Protocol, which protected Mexican immigrants while hearings were processed. As a result of these changes, encounters at the border declined to 52,000 in September 2019 and further to 36,000 in February 2020, before U.S. COVID restrictions, such as Title 42, decreased them even more.

          In contrast, promoting a more “humane” approach to immigration (according to its official website), the Biden administration enforced rapid deportations for those who crossed the border illegally. The Biden administration ceased construction on the wall (though later continuing some segments); stopped the Migrant Protection Protocols program; and ended the removal of noncitizens from the States, among other changes to the U.S.’s border policy. Instead, Biden endeavored to create more “humane” pathways to American citizenship. Refugees from certain countries are given automatic lawful residence for two years if sponsored through humanitarian parole, and other migrants can make appointments at the border using the U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s app, CBP One. In theory, the app can schedule an appointment to meet with a CPB representative. However, the implementation of this app has not been entirely successful: it has crashed multiple times and offers too few appointments for the number of migrants trying to get through. Many migrants still cross illegally and are either released into America with no near court date or evade detection completely. 

          Understandably, after the Biden administration’s pledge to curb the border crisis in a humane way, within a month of Biden’s installation, both CBP encounters with immigrants and the number of unaccompanied children seen at the border dramatically increased. Last month, December 2023, 302,000 migrants were taken into custody—the highest monthly total ever recorded. Similarly, in the 2019 fiscal year, 851,508 migrants were apprehended at ports of entry. Although the Biden administration enforced penalties for those attempting to cross illegally, 2.47 million migrants crossed the border unlawfully in 2023, only about 142,000 deportations were made, and interior apprehensions and deportations were sharply reduced. Penalties the administration claims to have implemented and strictly executed are not driving down numbers nor discouraging migrants from crossing illegally.

          Despite (or perhaps because of) previously opening their arms to migrants as ‘sanctuary cities,’ places where migrants would not face charges imposed by the government, New York City and Chicago, among others, now struggle to continue admitting more of them and handle their pre-existing state issues. Over 143,000 migrants have arrived in New York over the past year or so, something Eric Adams cited as a reason for city budget cuts affecting the library system, trash clean-up, and more. Most recently, the border crisis has severely impacted the city’s students, forcing James Madison High School students to switch to remote learning indefinitely as the state uses the facilities to house two thousand new migrants. New York has also filed lawsuits against transportation companies that brought migrants up from Texas, trying to regain the millions of dollars it has spent providing shelter and healthcare to both illegal and legal immigrants. Likewise, Chicago faces a similar influx of migrants and has resorted to restricting migrant dropoff locations.

          The current federal government must strike a balance between a functional immigration process and a secure border, but must currently direct its attention toward the latter. Firstly, the government would have to invest in technology to monitor crossings and finish walling the sections of the border where most illegal crossings occur. Additionally, continuing agreements with neighboring countries to keep immigrants in safe houses until documentation is processed would further the security of our border. However, the documentation process must also become more streamlined. To reduce the major backlogging of the courts, the government has to both increase the number of immigration judges drastically and reduce the number of incoming illegal migrants. Logically, America’s responsibilities are first to its citizens, secondly to its legal immigrants, and lastly to illegal migrants. By prioritizing legal migrants, the immigration proceedings could happen more smoothly, helping all parties involved. Securing the border is essential to the safety of American citizens and migrants alike, the protection of our interior systems, and the maintenance of the rule of law.