Biden's Grasp on Illegal Immigration

 

As America and the rest of the world continue to deal with Covid and its latest variant, along with the aftermath of our less than valiant departure from Afghanistan, rising inflation, a potential crisis in Asia between an increasingly aggressive China and its neighbors (especially Taiwan), and growing tensions between the U.S. and Russia over whether the Russians will or will not invade the Ukraine (the Russians say no and U.S. intelligence agencies say yes), we've nearly forgotten our ongoing border crisis and influx of illegal immigrants.

Since Joe Biden took office in January 2021, there have been record levels of migrants attempting to cross illegally into the United States, especially after Biden announced cutting back or eliminating many of former President Trump's initiatives to bring the situation under control. Many of the migrants had hoped that Biden would adopt former President Barack Obama's policies which essentially left the border with Mexico virtually open. 

According to Biden's Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, by the end of 2021, the Border Patrol will have had some two million "encounters" with migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally (that's an increase of 33% over the Trump Era high of 144,000). Bear in mind too that very few of these individuals have been immunized against rudimentary viruses and diseases such as the measles, TB, whooping cough, typhoid, chickenpox, let along Covid, which makes them a extreme health risk.   

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in August that the spread of Covid by "non-citizens" was a "serious danger", which came just as 4000 Haitians were caught in Del Rio Texas, making them yet another unvaccinated group attempting to illegally enter the U.S..

Speaking of Afghanistan, some of our intelligence agencies have projected that cells from ISIS or Al-Qaida may attempt to cross our southern border in retaliation, likely with the help of the major drug cartels who have been stepping up their own operations, including the smuggling of individuals across the border frontier using "coyotes" or guides at $10,000 a head, who are often passed off to one of the associated gangs on this side of border such as MS 13 or Latin Kings, who are known for their violence.

What's Biden to do? Mayorkas has informed the President as well as U.S. senators that the immigration system is "broken", which comes as no surprised given the decades it's been kicked around like a political football with no real direction.  Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands continue to march their way north. Why?

The situation in several of the countries in South and Central America, such as Venezuela, is desperate. However, in that particular case, it's economic implosion has been more the result of U.S. sanctions and embargoes than anything else, especially given its near singular dependence on oil exportation.

As a result, many Venezuelans had fled to neighboring countries, creating a greater strain on their economies. As an aside, several of these countries offer little to no public safety nets even for their own citizens, let alone migrants. The result is the continual shift northward (in some cases with the tacit encouragement of local and national governments).

Some migrants report being told by the police or military that the U.S. was encouraging immigrants to come. They're are told there are ample jobs and public support waiting for anyone crossing into the U.S. (all lies of course). Many of these same immigrants also report extreme abuse by some of these same police officers and military personnel including assault, rape, extortion, theft, arrest, and even murder.

As heinous as this may be, it's not surprising. Government authorities are often under orders to keeping the immigrants moving. However, that's no excuse for their behavior. It does, however, explain why a large number of migrants are scared of police or other "authority" figures. This is typically exploited by sweat shops and "boiler room operations" who employment illegals; paying them next to nothing, working them long hours in often unsafe conditions knowing they're unable run to the police.

 

So, what's being done? Well, after campaigning against many of Trump's policies on illegal immigration, the Biden Administration has quietly reinstated a few of Trump's programs such as encouraging immigrants to remain in Mexico or return home; returning "asylum seekers" to Mexico while their application is reviewed and processed. Meanwhile, asylum seekers are vaccinated against Covid and given a six month time limit to comply with any requests supporting their status.

It should be pointed out that neither the United States, the United Nations, or organizations such as Amnesty International recognize "economic asylum seekers". That's individuals leaving their home country looking for jobs. Additionally, those seeking asylum for political, racial, ethnic, cultural, or religious reasons (such as persecution) are required by international law to seek asylum in the next closest country.

So that means if their coming from Venezuela for instance, the next closest countries would be Columbia or Guyana. Perhaps, maybe, Ecuador or Panama.  But certainly not Mexico or the United States.  Thus, if they are coming for economic betterment they would be classified as a "migrant", and would have no have legal status to enter and remain in the country.

It should noted that the U.S. Border Patrol has reported that for the first time there are a significant number of  individuals coming from countries such as Ecuador, Brazil, Nicaragua, as well as Haiti and Cuba. The reasons again appear to be mainly economic, especially given the recent downturn in certain key commodity industries such as coffee, papaya, or banana exports, not to mention climatic disasters.

On his first official day in office, Present Biden ordered a stoppage to the border wall and cut all funding for the project. Biden also ended the national emergency declaration President Trump had previously issued regarding the border crisis. Biden has also transferred the care of unaccompanied children and minors to the Department of Health and Human Services for temporary settlement while they await a decision on the permanent status.

As for the separation of families, which Trump was accused of instituting by the media (although originally implemented under the Obama Administration), in which, in some cases, resulted in parents being deported without their children, has been stopped...mostly. Under Biden, most, but not all families, have been reunited while remaining in custody.

Previously, migrants or coyotes would send children ahead of their parents in the hopes they would granted at least temporary sanctuary in the United States. Meanwhile, the parents (or those claiming to be their parents or a close relative) who demand entry to be reunited with their children. Once they were allowed entry into the country, many of the children were simply abandoned by the faux parent or relative.

Another old "trick" was to smuggle pregnant women across the border (while others would come pretending to be a "tourist" or visiting family). Once they had their child on American soil, the child would be granted American citizenship in a deliberate misuse of the 14th Amendment.  

Obviously the mother would remain. She would then demand that her spouse be allowed in. Later, other family members such as brothers, sisters, grandparents (and in some cases even uncles and aunts) would be granted entry under the pretext of keeping their family unit intact. This was termed "anchor baby" (in Canada it's called "passport baby").  This same ploy has been used in other countries by those seeking to skirt existing immigration laws.

Lastly, the Biden Administration, in another reversal of  Trump policy, has decided to raise the ceiling on the number of refugees allowed in the U.S. from 15,000 under Trump to 125,000 for this fiscal year beginning in October (he had allowed 62,000 refugees from April through September 31).  Under President Obama, that number was 110,000.

The primary location of settlement for most of America's estimate 10.7 million illegal immigrants has been the southwest running from California to Texas. Most tend to live in one of 20 major metropolitan areas, especially San Diego, Las Angeles, San Jose, Ft. Worth, Dallas, and San Francisco.

However, other large metropolitan cities with growing Hispanic populations include Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Miami (mainly Cubans), Atlanta, Las Vegas/Reno, Phoenix, and along the northeast seaboard which takes in Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia.  There are also small pockets in rural states such as Kentucky, Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Nebraska which depend on seasonal farm help.

An interesting aside is that while Hispanics are now the largest minority block in America, surpassing blacks over a decade ago, and on track to be on par with whites in about two decades (or less), Asian presence in America is also growing dramatically.

While Asian immigrants tend to live in other Asian countries, about 15% of the 114.9 million Asian immigrants live in the U.S..  Almost half live in California, New York, or Texas. It's notable that while the largest group are Chinese, it's those from Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia) as well as Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines whose percentages have increased the most. Meanwhile, immigrants from India, Mongolia, and the former Soviet Union Republics of countries like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which are predominately Muslim, has risen sharply as well.

It's also worth nothing that, unlike many of the Hispanic immigrants,  Asian immigrants typically have a strong working knowledge of English. Some are not only proficient in English, but speak a third, fourth, or even fifth language with some degree of proficiency.  They also tend to be well educated, with many holding college degrees, especially those from India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Japan. 

America is changing. We are becoming with no clear cut majority. There is no stopping it. While we would, as a country, prefer the better educated Asians, we must accept that we also need the lesser educated field worker too. However, we cannot continue to allow illegal immigration to continue.

It creates a health concern with those entering the U.S. unvaccinated. It places a tremendous strain on our already deeply frayed social safety net with many paying little or nothing in taxes, leaving American Taxpayers to pick up the tab. However, Big Business likes the inflow of immigration since it increases competition for jobs and drives down wages and boost profits. It also allows the unscrupulous an opportunity to exploit workers for an even fatter profit.  

Uncontrolled immigration also creates a security crisis since we don't know who might be entering this country as friend or foe. We've already caught terrorists trying to sneak in. But for every one caught, how many made it in? The failure to speak English or conform to our laws and values destroys the fabric of the nation.  That reminds me of an old Irish saying which says that a land without a common language is a land without a soul.

Every country has the right and legal, as well as moral obligation to secure and protect its borders and its citizens. The U.S. is no different.  We need to stop playing political football with immigration. If we're going to end this partisan nonsense, stopping illegal immigration would be a good place to start.

 

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Biden and Illegal Immigration: What's Next?

Donald Trump is gone. Joe Biden is now the President. Kamala Harris is the first female Vice President in U.S. history. The Status Quo is back in charge. It's business as usual again in Washington D.C.. So, why are we once more talking about illegal immigration?

That's because the new President has promised to make illegal immigration one of his chief priorities during his first 100 days. Biden plans to offer the estimated 11 million illegal residents amnesty almost immediately.  I guess that shows the thousands who've been waiting patiently to enter this country what chumps they were for obeying the law. When dealing with Washington, crime apparently does pay, at least to those who are patient enough.

In addition to giving a pass to the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the U.S., Biden is planning on making it simpler for those wanting to enter the U.S. by reducing eligibility requirements. He's also intends to make it easier to obtain the coveted green card, which is needed to legally obtain work. 

That should be good news for the seven to eight thousand immigrants currently en route from Honduras (at last report they broke through the border checkpoints in Guatemala) and appear to be following the same path that the five thousand or so "Migrant Caravan" had taken a few years ago; they were stopped at the Mexican-American border.  

Some of you may recall former Mexican President, Vicente Fox, on Mexican TV at the time that the United States "had no right" to prevent immigrants from freely entering America (which was ironic given Mexico's draconian immigration laws).You may want to know that estimates indicate some 40,000 migrants are waiting on the Mexican border to enter the U.S.

Several studies have shown that the easier it is to enter a country legally, the less illegal immigration there is, which should be a no brainer. But it's worth noting that despite amnesty only about 41% actually decide to seek naturalization. With most Americans opposed to amnesty, why would Biden give amnesty to individuals who willingly violated immigration law? Why would he want to see a huge influx in immigration given all the problems currently facing America?

Well, the Democrats, like the Republicans, are beholden to Corporate America. Big Business and the federal government have effectively merged to form the current form of government, a Corporatocracy, which, as many know, is run by a handful of very wealthy individuals---Oligarchs. These elites are always looking to boost their bottom line. Perhaps the greatest liability they face are us---the workers.

Biden's move, if it's passed by the Democrat controlled Congress, will flood the job market. What happens when demand exceeds supply? Competition increases. In this case, it's competition for jobs. This usually drives down wages and reduces or eliminates benefits, improving profit margins. For those here pre-amnesty, it means that with amnesty they can also compete openly for jobs.

In fact, almost any new job they find will pay better than what they had. Those who criminally employed these individuals will have to improve not just the wages, but also the working conditions (which are typically horrible not to mention unsafe). Alternatively, they can seek out other immigrants who arrived after the amnesty period and continue with business as before. My money is on the latter.

However, the increased competition for jobs, will likely drive wages in the wrong direction. Furthermore, given the current pandemic situation in America, many small businesses (the backbone of the U.S. economy) have been severely hurt; many will never reopen or will have to cut back on hiring due to lost revenue. Some will be forced to hire only part time help.

This is especially true in the hospitality industry such as hotels, motels, and restaurants, farm labor, and construction, which just so happens to employ low or minimally skilled workers, many of whom are recent immigrants or those without a high school diploma at low wages.  Regardless, Biden and the Democrats will be perceived as the "good guys", especially within the Hispanic community.  Why is that important?

Although the percentage of immigrants coming to America seeking citizenship is relatively low, especially those from Latin America, the Democrats are hoping that their altruism will inspire some of these new citizens to register as Democrats, or at least vote for Democrat candidates. I wouldn't be surprised to see a bill passed allowing automatic voter registration with citizenship.

Democrats are the second largest voting bloc in the America. The largest is, of course, Independents. Republicans are the third largest. In fact, Independents have been the largest voting bloc since about 2008. Even at that, if the Democratic strategy works, the Republican Party could find itself all but locked out of federal politics or reduced to a regional party. As an aside, barring something drastic, I don't expect that we'll see another Republican President for many years to come.

As an aside, Independents are generally considered to be moderates or centrists who were booted from both corporate owned parties. They tend to be conservative on fiscal and foreign policy issues and somewhat liberal on social and domestic policies. They vote on issues rather than party line.

Of course, there's always a fly in the ointment. First off, voter registration has been on the decline. One study has shown a average 38% drop in voter registration in 17 of 21 states polled. Almost 50% of all registered voters typically fail to show up. One study showed 100 million regularly stay at home.

The reasons range from missing deadlines to simply being turned off by their choices. However, many feel that their vote no longer counts, especially given increasing issues of voter fraud and rigged elections in what was supposed to be one of the most secure electoral nations in the world.

Asians, Hispanics, and blacks typically register as Democrats (on the other hand, 57% of Cubans prefer the GOP). In fact, according a recent Pew study, minorities are 1/3 of the total new electoral registration since 2000, with Hispanics making up 39% of the growth or 13% of the total electorate.

It should be note too that Hispanics are the largest minority in America, surpassing blacks over a decade ago while Asians are rapidly growing and expected to exceed black populations in some areas within the next few decades. This will naturally affect the distribution of the limited federal dollars available for social services. Whites will be a minority by 2045, reaching parity with Hispanics.

Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that only about 13% of eligible Hispanics actually vote in national elections; the same percentage as blacks. Only 4% of Asians do so while 67% of whites turn out. But as the Hispanic population continues to grow and with the likely increase in Hispanic candidates, we can expect higher Hispanic turnouts which will certainly affect the balance of power between the two corporate owned parties.

Another issue to bear in mind regarding Biden's anticipated change in immigration policy concerns health and education. Few entering the U.S. speak English, especially the children. That means social programs and schools will have to further adapt. More bilingual first responders, hospital workers, social workers, teachers will be needed along with bilingual textbooks.

Literacy will remain a problem in general, as well as basic math skills not just for the kids, but for migrant adults as well, requiring specialized remedial education. For the children, they will likely need to include science and history. So, expect a few changes in school curriculums. As an aside, there may be changes in school sports programs too. Soccer is the national sport in most Hispanic countries along with boxing. That could mean some sports programs will be dropped or cut back due to limited funding by the evolving demographics.   

There will also be a cultural aspect in that we'll see stores change or expand their inventory to reflect the change in customers. So, don't be surprised to see more Hispanic products on your grocery shelf along with more Hispanic oriented media programming. Also, Hispanic culture is very male oriented.

Traditionally, most Hispanics are Roman Catholic. This could prove to be a boon for the cash strapped archdioceses across America who've had to pay out millions due to sex abuse lawsuits. But it should be pointed that over time, many Hispanics lapse and cease attending mass or other religious services. Others seek out different religions such as Baptist, Methodist, or Presbyterian.  

In terms of health, many, if not most have never been inoculated. Diseases all but eradicated like TB, polio, and smallpox, could make a new appearance until enough immigrants and their children are vaccinated to again erase these diseases. In addition, diseases not commonly found in the U.S. may show up, such as  Leprosy , Cholera, and Dengue. Of course, there is still COVID to consider.

So, what does this mean for America? Well, in many respects it's not as unnerving as it seems. We've experienced it many times throughout our brief history. It's included Germans, Irish, Welsh, Italians, Eastern Europeans, Chinese, Vietnamese Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus, Hispanics, and more recently, Muslims among countless others.  Most communities already reflect the change in the cultural makeup, so residents will notice little or no substantive changes. Another huge influx, however, will put an enormous strain on our social safety net and healthcare systems.

Historically, we've been successful thanks to the "melting pot" concept, where we mix and learn to adapt; taking the best from each.  Yes, distinct cultures have remained with whole neighborhoods of racial or ethnic groups in some cities. Their languages remain as does their cuisine and places of worship. But, they've adopted much of our collective traditions, values, but especially our language. In short, most have integrated.

Language, as I've often written, is the thread which binds the fabric of a nation together. When a people or group don't integrate or choose not to adopt the traditions, values, and language, they remain foreigners; outsiders. They develop no loyalty to the nation. In time, they will seek to carve out their own country within the host nation. It's happened time and time again throughout history.

The Democrats may attempt to become the dominate corporate party in America, although they will likely remain second to the Independents, by currying favor with the newest large minority. At the same time, they risk losing the trust of the black population, which has been a reliable ally since the 1930's. Asians have tended to support Democrats mainly out of habit since the states they primarily settled in were Democratic run. However, they have no particular loyalty to either party.

Thus, the Democrats run the risk, at least in the long run, of creating a new Yugoslavia with alienated and often hostile populations which never embraced national loyalty. The result, as many know, was wars, genocide, and eventually, a divided country. In the short term, they could further divide America. Meanwhile, the Republicans are a deeply fractured political party, and both are facing obsolescence thanks to the steadily growing Independents, localized third parties, and frustrated Americans. 

 

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