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Remember the border crisis? Despite the willful ignorance of Biden Democrats and their media allies, the southern border is still being overrun by illegal aliens.
Here are the facts: Every day, there are about 5,000 illegal border crossings into the United States. Since President Biden took office, nearly six million illegal aliens have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. And, due to Biden's "catch-and-release" policies, over two million illegal aliens have been released into the U.S., with an additional 1.3 million known "got-aways." There are now more than 22 million illegal aliens unlawfully residing in the U.S.
And the problem is only getting worse. The Pentagon recently authorized 400 U.S. troops to remain at the border until the end of August, beyond their 90-day mission. Long outmanned, ICE has been forced to increase the number of its special agents at the border, while DHS is calling for more agency volunteers to help with processing at the border in the event of a surge in numbers.
Given the Biden administration's nonexistent leadership, another surge is inevitable. No matter how desperately border patrol agents call for help, open-border Democrats will look the other way.
For too long, Republicans have allowed Democrats to claim the supposed moral high ground on immigration, hoping for some semblance of bipartisanship. But Democrats are not interested in bipartisanship; they are interested in opening the floodgates of illegal immigration for political reasons—that is, to gain new votes. They are similarly focused on changing basic language in a way that paints Republicans as agents of evil. How long will that go unchecked?
Over the years, terminology like "undocumented immigrant" or "illegal immigrant" has entered mainstream discourse, with Democrats and likeminded journalist-activists weaponizing such terms to frame the issue in their favor.
Guess what? Neither "undocumented immigrant" nor "illegal immigrant" appear in U.S. immigration law. The legally accurate and more precise term is "illegal alien." In fact, the word "alien" appears numerous times in the U.S. Code and is applied to those who live here legally, such as tourists or students on visas, as well as those who live here illegally.
Those who claim "illegal alien" is somehow racist—despite being race- and ethnicity-neutral—are the same people who support illegal immigration. They are the same people who advocate for open borders, seeking to turn illegal aliens into Democratic voters and political pawns. They are the same activists who claim to support black and brown people living in the inner city, despite clear and conclusive evidence that inner-city black and brown people are the ones most hurt by illegal alien labor competing for jobs.
Republicans can no longer cede ground to Democrats, not when the U.S.-Mexico border crisis is the worst that it has ever been. Illegal immigration isn't only dangerous; it is also extremely expensive for American taxpayers. The net cost of illegal immigration for the United States—at the federal, state, and local levels—is more than $150 billion per year. Per taxpayer, illegal immigration costs nearly $1,200 a year, with each illegal immigrant or U.S.-born child of illegal immigrants costing the U.S. over $8,000 annually.
It is time for drastic action. That's why I support legislation at the state level making it a felony to reside in the United States without proper authorization. This would empower U.S. states to solve the illegal immigration problem themselves, even if and especially when the federal government refuses to take action on partisan grounds. As president, I would reimburse states for the cost of making unlawful residence a felony, while withholding federal funds from states that do not take steps to tackle the border crisis.
Let's get serious. Federal law enforcement agents can no longer afford the apathy and inaction of Washington, D.C. Nor can America's weak economy—weakened by the tax-and-spend Biden administration—afford for illegal immigration to take jobs from U.S. citizens and threaten their livelihoods, especially in inner cities across America.
Punish illegal aliens with felony charges, and the border crisis will go away. Illegal aliens will think twice before breaking the law—long before they ever set foot on U.S. soil. Take that for immigration reform.
Larry Elder is a Republican candidate for president of the United States in 2024. He is the author of "As Goes California: My Mission to Rescue the Golden State and Save the Nation."
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
