“Huge hoax": Republicans accuse Biden-Harris administration of covering up border crisis
According to Border Patrol, as of July 2024, there had been "56,408 encounters between ports of entry." However, the GOP notes that there were more than 10 million illegal crossings during the Democratic term.
Immigrants at the border.
"Despite the false narrative they’re attempting to project, the unprecedented border crisis the president and his ‘border czar’ have created continues to rage on," argued Mark Green, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, after receiving the latest immigration data released by the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
According to the press release issued by the Border Patrol last Friday, fewer illegal immigrants have attempted to enter through the southern border than in any month in the last four years.
"In July, the Border Patrol recorded 56,408 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border. This is the lowest monthly total since September 2020."
"This administration is orchestrating a massive shell game, encouraging otherwise-inadmissible aliens to cross at ports of entry instead of between them—thereby creating a façade of improved optics for the administration, but in reality imposing a growing burden on our communities," maintained Green.
The Republican added that sea, land and air encounters increased "exponentially" this fiscal year, and "is on track to exceed last year's total."
"Even if another illegal alien did not cross our Southwest border for the remainder of Biden-Harris’ term, the millions they have already allowed into our country have done damage that will take decades to remedy. And for the families of Americans like Laken Riley, Rachel Morin, and Jocelyn Nungaray, that damage will never be undone."
Republicans point out, in fact, that during Biden and Harris' tenure there were more than 10 million illegal crossings. And that they released more than 1.28 million aliens into the country.
With an eye on surveys
CBP's statement is not coincidential. It comes just a month after the Biden-Harris Administration tightened its immigration policy, five months before the election. With the border crisis a top voter concern, the Democratic campaign is hoping the recent numbers will serve to improve its poor performance in polls on the issue.
The twist, which would have caused controversy within the administration's own team, includes imposing a limit on the number of migrants entering the nation from this border point and controlling the number of entries during periods when there are more attempts to enter the United States. This was assured by Troy Miller, acting commissioner of CBP:
"Our border security measures enhanced our ability to deliver consequences for illegal entry – leading to the lowest number of encounters along the southwest border in more than three years."
Not only that, the government agency also attempted to curb the number of criminals entering the country through the southern border, whether drug traffickers or, especially, criminals engaged in human trafficking. Republicans, however, point to an increase in the entry of not only criminals but also gang leaders. Foreign gangs have gained ground in the country in the last three years.
Along with this, CBP attempted to limit the increasing number of drugs that drug traffickers attempt to bring into the United States, especially fentanyl, one of the world's most dangerous narcotics.
To do so, Miller reported, they collaborated with other international institutions and the result was that not only did fewer migrants enter the country than in the past four years, but also the largest amount of fentanyl that a drug trafficking group had attempted to smuggle into the country was seized.
"These efforts are seeing results, as CBP saw the largest fentanyl seizure in our agency’s history just a few weeks ago. We remain vigilant in these efforts alongside our partners."
$308 million, the amount New York taxpayers have paid for the immigration crisis
Despite the Administration's bragging about the new data, Americans are increasingly aware of the high price they must pay each time a migrant enters the country illegally.
New Yorkers are a case in point. New York is one of the cities with the highest number of migrants per square meter and the inhabitants of the metropolis suffer the consequences of this on a daily basis.
Thus, according to the Adams Administration, New York taxpayers had to pay a total of 308 million dollars for the migration crisis in the city in the last month and a half. This caused that, in total in 2024, the inhabitants of the Big Apple have allocated a total of 5.5 billion dollars to address the problems with illegal immigration in the area.
A figure that, once again, shows that one of the main problems the Adams administration has to solve is the border crisis, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said in his report:
"The city continues to bear the majority of the burden for the significant cost of helping asylum seekers."
Fortunately, DiNapoli explained, the city has been able to survive thanks to the tourists that decide to visit the Big Apple. That coupled with strong tax revenues from businesses operating in the region had allowed New York to be able to maintain the city's post-pandemic treasury:
"Higher than expected revenues in recent years have been a key factor in allowing the city to fund under budget items and new programs … including significant cost of managing the asylum seeker influx."
However, these factors may soon no longer be enough to replenish the city's treasury which still faces a major immigration problem.
A crisis that, recalls the New York Post, in the last month required spending $112 million on housing and shelter, $137 million on social services and supplies, $29 million in administrative costs, $23 million in food and $7 million in health care of funds solely to defray the costs of illegal immigrants.
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