Webb: Separated at the border(s)

The plural is intentional. 

Illegal aliens crossing our southern border come from all areas of the world, and every single offender matters, no matter the reason. It’s illogical that every one of them — or even a large percentage — qualifies for asylum status under U.S. law.  

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report for June 2022 is a mash-up of numbers that lacks the important context of the individuals detained and processed, whether an unaccompanied minor, male, female or family unit. A large number of those detained are working-age males, which far outnumber the rest of the illegal aliens.  

According to CBP, there were a total of 207,416 encounters along the southwest land border in June. This represents a 14 percent decrease compared to May, according to the agency. It is important to note that “26 percent involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one-year reencounter rate of 15 percent for FY 2014-2019.” 

Last month, approximately 92,274 encounters, which the CBP says represent 44 percent of the total, were “processed for expulsion under Title 42. 115,142 encounters were processed under Title 8.” How many of them will reoffend? This number is, at best, an educated guess.  

The problem of the “got-aways” — individuals who illegally cross the border but go uncaught — is often overlooked. What we don’t know can be mostly benign, if it’s an economic migrant, or deadly if it’s a terrorist.  

Separated families south of our border leave a family unit more vulnerable to economic decline and criminal activity. Breaking the family unit into pieces results in a more fractured community, which has a debilitating effect on countries already in peril. Latin America is being hollowed out, both by predictable generational decline and an increased possibility of despotism, as power is repeatedly acquired by leftist, socialist and criminal elements.  

We cannot ignore the human factor. When survival is on the line, desperation can lead to bad or no-choice situations. In bad times, many turn to alcohol and drugs. Women are often left to fend for themselves with a family to feed. If unable to do so, many turn to prostitution or become drug mules. Young people, especially with little or no formal education, are easy prey for various illegal elements, and some go as far as becoming child fighters for cartels.  

China, the cartels and the other major drug traffickers around the world know this and continue to take advantage, pushing even more drugs into America. For China, highly addictive drugs like fentanyl result in a weaker America. For the cartels, it’s a growing consumer base. 

Not every illegal alien who makes it through gets their American dream, however they see it. Increasing homelessness, especially in a time of such high inflation, corresponds to an increase in crime, which increases victimization in the illegal alien community. Ranchers along the border, a more common route because of wide-open land, often find more than the trash related to illegal crossings — they find people of all ages in need of medical attention, and occasionally dead bodies.  

No humanitarian in any true form should tolerate such outcomes. Yet the Biden administration and their open borders supporters, be they individuals or organizations, allow the largest human trafficking operation in the world. It’s a disgrace.  

If you are truly a humanitarian, as many claim on the left, how can you help destroy countries south of our border? And at the same time, these open border policies exacerbate the problem here in America.  

Where is Vice President Harris, the sheriff of the border?  

Webb is host of “The David Webb Show” on SiriusXM Patriot 125, a Fox Nation host, Fox News contributor and a frequent television commentator. His column appears twice a month in The Hill.