The Border Debacle: A Crisis of Biden’s Own Making

President Biden reversed Trump’s “restrictive” immigration policies in the name of compassion, but by doing so, has created a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions at the southern border that continues to worsen. Media footage from the last week shows hundreds of migrants streaming across the border from Mexico into the United States near the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas. The majority of those walking across the Rio Grande River hail from Haiti, with thousands huddled beneath the International Bridge awaiting processing. 

In response to the horrific images captured by drones, the Federal Aviation Administration implemented temporary flight restrictions in a thinly veiled attempt to prevent journalists from covering the crisis. Bill Melugin of Fox News has been reporting the dire situation at the border, tweeting on Saturday that the number of migrants beneath the bridge has increased to over 14,000, compared to the 35,000 population of Del Rio, Texas.   

On Friday of last week, Texas Senator Ted Cruz traveled to the border to provide his own assessment of the situation. He described it as “the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen.” Cruz’s own report included information acquired from interviews with border patrol officials and contained images of a “mass of humanity” comprised of “infants, little children, people struggling enormously.” Notably, migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a 21-year high this summer.

Biden was quick to undo the prior administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policies in the name of compassion: “Securing our borders does not require us to ignore the humanity of those who seek to cross them.” Yet it’s Biden’s own eager reversal of Trump-era immigration policies that have resulted in a completely preventable and horrific humanitarian crisis, leaving border patrol overwhelmed and thousands stranded in the midst of a pandemic. Biden has effectively overlooked the rights of American citizens legally abiding in border cities with policies that have rendered shockingly inhumane results.  

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Aly Blake   Email

Aly is a military spouse and mom to two. She has a special interest in international security and foreign affairs, having lived overseas, worked with Sister Cities International and served as a commissioning editor for an international relations website. Aly holds a Masters in Global Studies and International Relations from Northeastern University and currently resides in Tennessee.