Ours Southern borders are not lines on maps. It’s a big hole in our national security and it’s drying out us.
Mexican cartels flood our city with fentanyl and traffic humans with vulnerabilities that terrorists could slip through. President Joe Biden spent four years pretending it wasn’t the problem, exploding the confusion while our community paid the price. President Donald Trump’s return offers an opportunity to reverse course, but half the measurements aren’t enough. We must act decisively to secure our borders and protect our country.
Stakes are tough. Cartels generate An estimated $13 billion from human smuggling, according to the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, while the Drug Enforcement Bureau said it killed more than 100,000 Americans in 2023.
in My house in North CarolinaOverdose killed 4,000 people last year. This is a toll that could fill Hickory’s LP Frans Stadium. Meanwhile, the risk of terrorism increases. The Border Patrol has grabbed nearly 300 suspected terrorist watchlists and flagged thousands of “special interest aliens” since 2018, determined to pose national security risks. One flees the extremists and looks at the next 9/11.
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Biden administration Policy only exacerbated the crisis. The crossings surged by dismantling the “remaining Mexico” program that significantly reduces illegal crossings during Trump’s first term and ending Title 42 deportation that expelled more than a million migrants as the US tried to protect itself from more COVID-19 cases. According to data from the US Customs and Border Protection 2021, they had an increase of 300% in Yuma, Arizona.
Biden too Construction of boundary wall has stopped And they loosened the rules of asylum, allowing many to abuse the system by claiming that they are running away for their lives, rather than actually coming for economic opportunities. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency reported that nearly 160,000 released aliens were not appearing at the 2023 Asylum Court hearing.
Economic despair encourages some degree of migration, but the resulting disruption has empowered cartels and tense communities from Texas to New York, at the expense of billions of dollars in taxpayer healthcare, law enforcement and social services.
Trump took critical action to regain our borders, and the early results speak volumes. His administration is prioritizing the construction of border walls targeting 100 miles this year at hot spots like the Rio Grande Valley. Monthly arrests have increased by 627% since January, with immigration and customs enforcement expelling 20,000 illegal immigrants a month. Illegal intersections have fallen to the lowest levels in decades. Additionally, CBP seized more than 1,200 pounds of fentanyl in February alone. But the threat persists and self-satisfaction is not an option.
The Trump administration has received full support as we rebuild our border security from scratch, and the momentum sets the stage for even stronger measures. Like night vision drones and artificial intelligence towers already deployed in major sectors, technology investments can be expanded to lock down more vulnerable boundaries. A 50% drop in San Diego’s intersection is possible.
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It is important to focus on liquidating the backlog of 1.5 million cases of deportation. Adding more ice agents will allow that stake to be cut in half by 2027, with each agent handling 200 cases a year.
Efforts to tighten the rules of asylum are already on the right track. A 60-day deadline for hearing cases of asylum, and a rigorous standard of proven persecution, where aliens remain in their home country, has closed the loophole that left Biden wide open. And they can help support programs such as 287(g), sheriffs and local law enforcement agencies to detain illegal immigrants on ice, turning all counties into force multipliers.
The consequences of not acting are not speculative. They are a catastrophic reality in our community. Just this month, in my district, Iredel County authorities arrested illegal foreigners with enough fentanyl to kill more than a million people. This is a rigorous reminder of trends that advocate for life nationwide.
Without relentless action, all American streets face more overdose, crime, and crushed families.
As a member of the council, I have seen my district and the sacrifices that have come since. But here is the obvious truth. No new laws or the heat of Washington is needed. We need a president with courage to act and thank God Trump has it in Spade.
Now we’re done with work. They divide borders, dismantle cartels, and rebuild America, where the rule of law is firmly established. It’s not just something that deserves our community. It is the bedrock of a country worth fighting for.
Rep. Pat Harrigan of North Carolina serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. A combat-adorned green beret, nuclear engineer and successful entrepreneur, he brings battlefield-tested leadership and real-world experience to Congress.
Reprint From the daily traffic lights.
