A nation without a border is not a nation.
That was the focus of Simon Hankinson, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, who specializes in border security and immigration issues, when addressing the New York State Conservative Party conference in Albany.
Hankinson did not paint a pretty picture of what has become a wide open Southern Border, with a record number of illegal crossings in 2023.
A total of number of 164,907 migrants crossed the Southern Border in December of 2023 alone, with a total of 2.5 million crossing all of last year according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“There is no priority in this administration to deport them. We are looking at an unprecedented crisis. What the government should be doing is securing the nation,” said Hankinson.
To lessen the number of illegal immigrants detained in United States custody starting in March of 2021, the Biden administration began releasing migrants without the need for them to return for court dates. Think of their “Alternatives to Detention” program similar to parole.
“They released people, in very few cases with an ankle monitor, in some cases with nothing at all. Then no one shows up for court,” said the Heritage Foundation researcher.
In September of 2021, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a memo stating that the United States would stop deporting migrants just because they are here illegally.
“That’s the Mayorkas Migration Machine: process and punt. As quickly as humanly possible, bring people in, take their fingerprints, photo, their fake name, their fake date of birth, and off you go. Go to New York City, Chicago, Denver, just don’t stay near the border,” said Hankinson at the Conservative Party conference, who added the job of the government is to secure the border and the nation.
“Imagine someone breaking into your house. They sit on your couch. Watch a football game with you. As long as they don’t hit you or steal something from you, they’re allowed to stay. That’s the logic of the Biden Administration,” concluded Hankinson.