Portman on Controlling the Border

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman has a post a RealClearPolitics in which he characterizes the situation at our southern border and presents some suggestions for addressing it. Here’s his characterization:

More than 100,000 migrants were apprehended in February, the most in 15 years. This included more than 9,500 unaccompanied kids, a 200% increase from this time last year. March numbers will be even higher, easily surpassing the surges in 2014 and 2019. And it hasn’t reached its peak.

The reason for the crisis is clear. The Biden administration’s policy changes encouraged families and unaccompanied children, mostly from the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, to come to our southern border and apply for asylum. Traffickers are telling families they can come into the U.S. if they pay to make the treacherous trip north, then apply for asylum at the border. Under the Biden policies, there is a lot of truth to that.

The legal process to grant asylum takes several years, with a 1.2 million-person backlog and only about a 15% success rate for asylum applicants. Most waiting for immigration court dates or appeals are already in the United States and many do not show up for their court dates. People know there is very little chance they will be deported. In fact, more than 95% of the families who were released into the United States pending their asylum decision during the last surge in 2019 are still here.

which is followed by his prescription. You will see some similarities between what he proposes and ideas you’ve read around here:

First, support the Border Patrol and finish the wall system already paid for, closing gaps and deploying badly needed technology.

Second, give families and children seeking asylum relief a way to apply in their own country or a neighboring country rather than making the treacherous trip north. The Biden administration should do this by reviving the Safe Third Country agreements with Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries and working with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees so that individuals can seek asylum and are resettled in the country that makes the most sense for their situation – be it a neighboring country or the United States.

Third, the Biden administration should stop releasing children and families into the U.S. and instead restart and expand a pilot program that allows for due process through a rapid adjudication of asylum claims at the border, starting with the most recent cases. This will require additional resources, but it is worth it because it will create a powerful disincentive for future migration if people know they will be in custody on the border while their claims are being resolved.

Fourth, because American jobs are the magnet, the E-Verify program, which checks if a worker is legally eligible to work in the United States, must be made mandatory for all businesses, backed up by employer sanctions.

All four of these proposals would reduce the current incentives, or “pull” factors, to cross the border.

Congress and the administration should also provide additional smart development aid to the Northern Triangle countries to help with the long-term “push factors” that encourage people to leave their homes. This new assistance must be conditioned upon transparency and adherence to the rule of law, as well as assistance in the asylum process.

There are several things I find missing from that prescription. One of them is more stringent enforcement of E-verify. That will require expanded funding. Another is a recognition of the difficulty of doing anything about the “push” factors. I have consulted with individuals with considerable expertise regarding the “Northern Triangle” and they assure me that elites in those countries are fully mobilized to absorb any level of additional funding the U. S. might provide, line their own pockets, and do little to nothing to repair the broken economies and institutions in those countries. It will take some creativity and novel approaches as well as substantial attention to do anything material about them and, sadly, neither political party is particularly long on creativity, novelty, or attention these days. We can’t bomb Guatemala into becoming a safer, more prosperous country.

6 comments… add one
  • jan Link

    The figures of illegal migrants apprehended in March was approximately 172,000. As the summer months approach this influx will only increase. However, according to one poster here, there is not much difference from this surge than what was experienced earlier in 2019. Oh yes, unaccompanied children have also massively grown. In the last administration at no time was that number greater than 2,600. Currently it is around 20,000. They are even opening up a large arena in Long Beach, CA to House thousands of kids (although some of them are posing as underage children).

    Then there is the cost involved in taking care of and finding housing for people crossing over in mass. Not only are arenas being used, but also hotels are being taken over at great expense. Ironically, it seems that the clientele being courted for hotel occupancy are illegals and homeless populations…at least here in CA.

  • jan Link

    An addition to the March apprehensions, via the CBP, is another 130,000
    (as a low end estimate) who were able to go around the CBP escaping into the country’s interior. And, according to Gallup polling another 42 million people in our Southern Hemisphere want to come here. Currently, the US is spending about $60 million a month taking care of all these border trespassers needs. Other costs are the crowding of non-English students into our public school system, ER’s being over-burdened by migrants seeking health care, lower skill wages being depressed, and welfare services being tasked well beyond what their caseloads already are.

    What the h*ll are we trying to do???

  • steve Link

    In 2019 we reached 130,000 total per month and about 76,000 unaccompanied minors were apprehended. The numbers have climbed steadily since last April. Dave had the chart up here on the site.

    Steve

  • Grey Shambler Link

    Politicians always gain refreshing
    clarity when they leave office.

  • Drew Link

    I see Steve is still slavishly carrying water for Joey’s border performance. Here’s a napkin for the drool, Steve. Even the dumbest of the dumb, and most dishonest of the dishonest, have noticed Uncle Joe’s policy is a disaster. Interestingly, Kamala, who has been designated Border Superwoman, is nowhere to be found. I hear she may be doing strategic planning………….snicker.

    Of course Steve was also a big denier of Hunter’s pathetic state and Joe’s (“The Big Guy”) Ukrainian corruption. Well…..such a nice first family…..honest, clean and believable. Steve? Know a good dentist?

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/daily-mail-exposes-hunter-biden-bombshells-after-tell-all-book-holds-back

  • steve Link

    All I did was cite the actual numbers for Trump, close to what we are seeing now, and such a strong response. Still no explanation why the numbers started going straight up starting last April. I guess Trump let Biden start setting policy a year ago.

    Steve

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