For many Americans, border security is just another policy issue they follow on the news. For Texans like me who live in border towns, it’s a personal issue that affects the communities we call home. As a result, border residents notice when politicians step up to the plate during times of crisis and even more so when they don’t.
The past eight months at the border have been nothing short of disastrous when compared to recent years, shining a bright light on a border response riddled with incompetency and hypocrisy. More specifically, since Joe Biden took office, over 1.2 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the border. This is the highest total in two decades. The numbers in August 2021 alone marked a 317% increase over August 2020.
Whether it’s imposing strict COVID-19 mandates on Americans while refusing to enforce the same policies on COVID-positive illegal immigrants, laughing about trips to the border, or presiding over a humanitarian crisis of child abuse and trafficking, Biden and Kamala Harris have repeatedly proven themselves incapable of repairing the crisis they’ve created. They’ve also proven themselves loyal to a self-serving political agenda instead of to the American citizens they’ve sworn an oath to protect.
The crisis that’s unfolded at the border for the nearly 250 days since Biden took office showcases the trend of the Biden administration’s use of sophisticated rhetoric to cover up unsophisticated problems. In February, Jen Psaki referred to the same border facilities Kamala Harris once deemed a “crime against humanity” as “reopening overflow facilities” instead of the infamous “kids in cages” description. This goes to show that the Biden administration only cares about political posturing and avoiding the tough questions posed by both Republicans and Democrats, instead of addressing the American People’s concerns regarding border security, the abuse of migrant children and the spread of COVID-19 at the border.
Biden is marked by a continuous thread of incompetence, and his failed response to key issues hasn’t gone unnoticed by Texas voters. Democrats assume minorities will side with them no matter how incompetent their leadership may be, but more and more Tejanos are showing emphatic support for Republican candidates and the policies they support. In fact, a new poll reveals that 54% of Texas Latino voters disapprove of Joe Biden’s performance as president.
Regarding immigration specifically, Texas Governor Abbott’s approval rating is higher than that of President Biden. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed approve of Governor Abbott’s border policies while only 29% approve of how President Biden has handled immigration at the southern border. This poll reflects a clear rejection of Biden’s poor leadership as well as a growing desire for “decisive action” on the border. These Texans add their voices to 26 Republican governors across the nation who have demanded a meeting with Biden to discuss the border crisis.
After eight long months of weakened border security and feckless policies, these immigration issues aren’t going to disappear overnight. The migrant surge in Del Rio is not just a “challenging situation”, as stated by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; it’s a crisis. As Democrat Mayor Bruno Lozano said back in March, Biden’s botched handling of this crisis in our own backyard is “a slap in the face.” It’s time for Joe Biden to listen to the outcry of his fellow Americans and take decisive action to clean up the mess he made.