Now that 2022 has come to a close, it’s worth looking back at how the issue of immigration affected America this year, and what lies ahead.
The past year set records at the border for all the wrong reasons. While the 2022 official numbers have not been released, it appears a record number of illegal aliens crossed the U.S. border. During the last fiscal year (October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022) Border Patrol apprehended more than 2.7 million aliens crossing the U.S. border illegally and a record 98 suspected terrorists (another record).
As recently as 2019, border patrol apprehended zero suspected terrorists illegally crossing the border. Additionally, government sources confirm at least 853 migrants perished while attempting to make the perilous journey through Central America to the U.S., setting another tragic milestone. These staggering numbers make clear that 2022 was the worst year for border security in American history. Could 2023 be any better? It’s unlikely.
During the 2022 midterm election, Joe Biden’s party significantly outperformed historical trends, and the White House has made clear that it sees the midterm results as permission to ram through their anti-border agenda. After the election, Biden said he wasn’t planning on changing anything, making it clear that he misread the results as an affirmation of his agenda.
“I’m confident these policies are working and that we’re on the right path and we need to stick with them,” he said
Since then, the Biden administration has tried to end Title 42 — the only semblance of sanity this administration has maintained at the border since taking office. Thankfully, the American people received a momentary reprieve when Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay, blocking the administration from ending the program. However, the policy remains in great danger, and when and if it does fall, the subsequent crisis might make the last two years look like child’s play.
Administration officials are expecting as many as 14,000 illegal aliens to enter the country every day once Title 42 ends. This would create an economic and cultural upheaval the likes of which most Americans have not experienced ever, while gravely endangering U.S. national security.
It is essential that this program remain in place, but unfortunately Congress appears asleep at the wheel. Congress passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill with little meaningful support for border security. Bipartisan congressional apathy towards the border crisis is a betrayal of the American people. However, all hope is not lost.
As the year came to a close, some members of Congress attempted to rush through an amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. Border security advocates were able to defeat an amnesty proposal from Sens. Thom Tillis and Kyrsten Sinema and the legislation was not attached to the omnibus bill like many had feared. Additionally, legislation intended to expand the number of green cards and reform the U.S. immigration system in a more pro-migration direction was unable to get out of the House of Representatives. The death of those two bills was a major victory for all Americans who care about our sovereignty and the rule of law.
As a result of the 2022 midterms, Republicans will take over the house this month, meaning the Biden Administration will face increased oversight over its failures at the border. Representative Kevin McCarthy, the expected next House Speaker, has called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign, and has threatened to impeach him if he does not. While Mayorkas would almost certainly be acquitted in a Senate trial, his impeachment would present an excellent opportunity to educate the American people on the disastrous effects of the border crisis. He would be forced to defend these disastrous border numbers publicly, creating enough political pressure on the Biden Administration to begin taking the crisis seriously.
States lead the way in fighting back against the federal government’s anti-border policies in 2022. Govs. Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis of Texas and Florida, respectively, have forced liberal elites to confront the crisis they created by bussing illegal aliens to sanctuary cities across the country, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Abbott also recently declared an invasion at the border, which will allow the state of Texas to take additional steps to protect their residents from the crisis. With the federal government likely to continue its anti-borders aggression, the states will once again lead the way in combating the crisis in 2023.
What has happened at the border over the past two years is one of the great tragedies in American history, and those of us who care about the rule of law and the future of our country are in for the fight of our lives in the New Year.
William Davis is a communications associate for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.
