It is widely known that the first step in dealing with an addiction is to admit that you have a problem. The Biden administration may just have taken that first tentative step in realizing that its addiction to the concept of open borders comes with a number of unintended consequences. After weeks of insisting that there is no crisis on the southern border, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been activated to lend a helping hand with the huge influx of minors that seem to be overwhelming the denial-fuelled White House.
But in terms of beginning that long, hard road back to sobriety, the administration may not be there quite yet. Rather than acknowledging that sending a team specifically trained to deal with emergencies denotes an actual emergency, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stressed that it was merely to deal with the management of children. He said:
"A Border Patrol facility is no place for a child… We are working in partnership with HHS to address the needs of unaccompanied children, which is made only more difficult given the protocols and restrictions required to protect the public health and the health of the children themselves."
No - No Crisis Here
The southern border is witnessing what can only be described as an explosion in numbers. "Encounters" during the October-January period are up by 79% from last year to almost 300,000, and the number of "family units" making the crossing has risen from just over 7,000 to a staggering 19,000.
In recent weeks, the administration has stuck to its metaphorical guns, insisting that no crisis exists. When challenged on whether this surge should rightly be described as a crisis, White House press secretary Jen Psaki hit back, saying: "it doesn't matter what you call it." She concluded that "our focus here is getting to the root of the issues and taking actions, and we don't feel the need to play games with what it's called."
Just two weeks ago, when pressed on whether the situation constituted a crisis, Mayorkas insisted: "the answer is no." During the same grilling, he took the opportunity to cast the blame on former President Donald Trump, stating: "It takes time to rebuild the system from scratch."
What system is he referring to precisely? The system that saw a huge drop in illegal crossings? The system that discouraged people from making the dangerous journey to the border? Or the system that stopped cartels making an estimated quarter of a million dollars a day from "crossing taxes" that are then funneled into drugs, weapons, and human exploitation?
FEMA: The Clue is in the Name
With FEMA, an agency that specifically deals with emergencies, and a request by DHS for a bevy of volunteers to help with the huge number of unaccompanied minors now sitting in what the Fourth Estate refuses to call "cages," something is clearly afoot down Mexico way.
Immigrants hoping to make a new life in the United States will not be deterred by federal and state governments having to spend more taxpayer money to help process them. Until the Biden administration gets tougher on who will be accepted, the people will keep coming - and these added resources will keep the gates open, meaning more people will make the journey.
This is an addiction. Whether it is an addiction to the open borders ideology or addiction to presenting itself as different from the Trump era, the Biden administration has quickly developed a dangerous habit that will only get worse.
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Read more from Mark Angelides.
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