The southern border is witnessing a surge in illegal migrants daily. President Joe Biden remains inactive on the issue. Now, the Border Patrol agents are independently addressing the situation. This past Friday, these agents allowed hundreds of illegal migrants to enter San Diego, California, after holding them at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Fox News footage revealed numerous migrants disembarking from three unmarked Border Patrol buses near a San Diego transit terminal. One migrant asked if he could travel to Chicago, and an agent replied, “You can do whatever you want. You’re free.”
These buses are not connected to Texas or its Governor, Greg Abbott, who has been in the news for transporting illegal migrants to states governed by Democrats. Abbott has daily buses to New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Texas’ Operation Lone Star continues to address border security gaps left by the Biden Administration.
Why are there so many immigrants?
This current state of a high influx of migrants is attributed to the Biden Administration’s lax border policies, leading to a significant border crisis. These policies have inadvertently encouraged human trafficking and the smuggling of harmful drugs like fentanyl into the U.S. A local food vendor mentioned that this wasn’t the first instance of buses releasing migrants in the area that week. According to the video footage, the migrants appeared disoriented, unsure of their location and next steps.
San Diego has recently seen a spike in illegal migrants, given its strategic location between two border points and its proximity to Tijuana, Mexico. In 2022, encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border reached unprecedented numbers. In May 2021, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported over 180,000 illegal migrant encounters, the highest in over 20 years. August’s numbers are projected to be around 230,000, potentially setting a new record for 2023.
Immigration is becoming an issue in New York.
New York has also seen a recent spike in immigrants, partly due to the influx of buses from Texas. Mayor Eric Adams of New York called Abbott a Republican “madman” for busing migrants from Texas to cities including New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, and Washington, D.C. In response to this comment, Abbott fired back at the New York City Mayor and other Democratic mayors who have criticized his policy of busing migrants. Abbott stated that Adams “could not last a week in Texas.”
The situation in New York is getting so bad that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other Democrats were loudly heckled Friday at a press conference in New York City regarding the migrant crisis there. The Democrats were drowned out by shouting protesters chanting, “Send them back!” and “Close the border!”
Border states are attempting to fill the gaps left by the Biden Administration.
Meanwhile, other border states, like Texas, are actively trying to curb the influx of illegal migrants. Recent footage from El Paso, Texas, showcased Texas National Guard soldiers employing razor wire to deter large groups of illegal migrants from crossing into the U.S.
Texas has also used a floating buoy barrier to deter illegal immigrants from crossing the Rio Grande. The Buoy Barrier was the subject of a recent lawsuit filed by the DOJ. A federal appeals court has allowed the floating barrier on a section of the Rio Grande in Texas to remain in place for the time being.