Disturbing images under a bridge near Del Rio, TX, where more than 10,000 illegal aliens are languishing, have caused Joe Biden’s team finally to sit up and take notice. The immigration crisis has U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents and Texas authorities stretched beyond the limit as things have continued to spiral out of control since Biden became president. The throngs of people at the border are a humanitarian crisis that can no longer be ignored.
Up, Up, and Away
On Sunday, Sept. 19, immigration authorities loaded up several planes with illegals, and they took off for the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. It is widely reported that 3,300 migrants have already been evacuated to detention centers. The deportations are expected to continue throughout the week.
Last month, border agents stopped more than 208,000 people streaming into the country; the highest number on record in the previous 20 years was in July, when more than 214,000 contacts were made. This, of course, takes into account only the number detained, not the number of illegal entries. The unrelenting heat, little in the way of food and water, and squalid conditions have ignited a partisan rift in the Swamp. Many contend the current situation on the border makes the so-called Trump “cages” look like a day at the Hilton.
Build Back Better?
Biden campaigned on a compassionate and humane approach to illegal immigration. Such signals were not lost on people wanting to trek to the United States for a better life. Reaction to the recent Haitian crisis has been swift and pointed.
On Fox & Friends, former Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ron Vitiello railed at the White House for setting up the disaster at the border: "… the Biden administration's policies have enabled the crisis, specifically in terms of both human smuggling and drug trafficking, and now the administration has to play 'catch up' to mitigate the situation." Vitiello summed up his scathing remarks by saying:
“This is the world's only superpower and the most prosperous nation on the planet, and we are just letting people walk into the country."
Last week, Representative Tony Gonzales (R-TX) told Fox, "The sheer amount of people, it's like getting hit by a 2 x 4." In a statement issued via email, former President Donald Trump echoed Vitiello's statement: "Our Country is rapidly becoming a cesspool of humanity. Murderers, drug dealers, and criminals of all shapes and sizes are a big part of this massive migration." He continued:
"Tens of thousands of people are coming from Haiti, and many now from countries in Africa, even more so now than South America. Nothing is done and the corrupt Mainstream Media is giving almost no attention to what will be perhaps the greatest crisis in the history of our country."
Fox News certainly has had its share of issues with its conservative base. Still, the images of the chaos near Del Rio should win its news division an Emmy for persistence in gathering footage with video-equipped drones. The Biden administration attempted to pull a fast one last week by having the FAA issue "temporary flight restrictions" to keep the news organization grounded. Fox pushed back by exposing the maneuver to censor, and the FAA eventually backed down under the glare of negative publicity.
Since then, horrific images of the immigration melee near Del Rio have been flooding the flatscreens of Americans – bringing the catastrophe home and in living color. One of Biden's first actions as president was to halt the construction of the border wall, which left openings in places like New Mexico, where residents and border agents try to close the gap with old tires and other miscellany. Texas, meanwhile, has been scrambling to handle the out-of-control situation. Up to this point, the Biden administration has paid little attention to the growing crisis there, and this leadership vacuum has turned an emergency into a humanitarian calamity.
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Read more from Leesa K. Donner.
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