Smith: Next Steps for the Border

As I write this, Donald Trump will become our 47th President in less than 24 hours and, thanks to Joe Biden, he has already won the debate over immigration. Look at the facts.

First, deportations. Who can object if the first target is criminals? Keep in mind, however, that U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) deported 271,000 unauthorized immigrants in fiscal year 2024, the highest total in 10 years and higher than  FY 2019, the peak year ( 269,000) in Trump’s first term.

The highest total was 316,000 in fiscal year 2014 under Barack Obama.

Second, arrivals at the US border have decreased by more than fifty percent. This is due to two factors, the Biden agreement with Mexico’s previous President to close Mexico’s southern border to migrants from further south and Biden’s very restrictive executive order limiting the number of permissible claims for asylum. The migrant shelters that we have supported in El Paso, Deming, New Mexico and Juárez and Palomas, Mexico are all either closed as a result or greatly reduced in numbers of migrants awaiting asylum claims.

Third, the Border Patrol has, despite a lack of new funding, made significant advances that have reduced illegal crossings. For example, they have installed 57 autonomous surveillance towers in the Big Bend, Texas area and largely cut off the flow of illegal crossings. Thirty three towers have been built in the El Paso area and the border wall has been repaired so you can no longer cut through it..

Trump had the Border Act killed last year, a bi-partisan bill that would have provided funding for more Border Patrol agents but I’m assuming that the bill will soon be reintroduced and quickly passed with his support. This is essential because some 50% of Border Patrol agents will reach retirement age between 2026 and 2029.

Fourth, during Biden’s tenure, there have been high level cartel arrests and prosecutions. On October 16, 2024, Genaro Garcia Luna, once Mexico’s Secretary of Public Security was sentenced to 38 years by a federal district judge in New York. Two sons of El Chapo are awaiting sentencing. Ismael Zambada ( El Mayo) the co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel with El Chapo is also in US custody.

Fifth, in early  December, Mexico made what it claims was the largest fentanyl; bust in its history with two raids in the state of Sinaloa. Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum said that the pills seized amounted to 20 million doses.

More needs to be done, including Issues that aren’t being discussed.

a.         Aggressive interdiction of the flow of guns from the US into Mexico. We are the ones who have armed the cartels.

b.         A sincere effort to prevent Americans from becoming addicted to drugs. We have treatment programs for those who are already addicted but do little in terms of prevention.

c.        An expanded and less complicated guest worker program that would let more workers enter the US legally for seasonal work in areas like agriculture and construction where American workers are unavailable.

Will Trump follow up on the successes he has been handed? Will he, like a smart politician, take credit for them? Or will he start a chaotic, costly and inhumane process of further demonizing migrants? We will soon find out.

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Morgan Smith, a writer who visits the border at least monthly to document conditions there and to assist a variety of humanitarian organizations. The column appears in the Rio Grande Guardian with the permission of the author. Smith can be reached at Morgan-smith@comcast.net.

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