OPINION:
On Christmas Eve, a busload of migrants who crossed the southwest border arrived outside the Washington home of Vice President Kamala Harris in 18-degree weather. While it is not immediately clear who sent this particular busload of migrants to Ms. Harris’ home, the White House blamed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, calling the move a “cruel, dangerous, and shameful stunt.”
“Governor Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any federal or local authorities,” White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said in a statement that went on to bolster President Biden’s “comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures” and insist the repeated busing trips were “political games” that “accomplish nothing and only put lives in danger.”
While the White House has depicted the Christmas Eve busing move as dangerous, it neglected to acknowledge that El Paso, Texas, saw temperatures as low as 21 degrees, a clear sign the administration is completely disconnected from the reality of the crisis it is generating. Those migrants were also left in grave danger because of federal government policies.
“The city has opened an emergency shelter with 1,000 cots inside its convention center just a block way — but it’s only open to migrants who have immigration paperwork after turning themselves into the Border Patrol. The city says that policy is set by the federal government, which is helping to foot the bill. And it’s leaving potentially hundreds of migrants out in the cold,” according to a Dec. 23 NPR report.
From the beginning, the Biden administration has refused to acknowledge the bigger picture that its immigration policies are placing hundreds of thousands of migrants in danger. Fiscal 2022 concluded on Sept. 30 with a total of 2.76 million illegal crossings at the southern U.S. border, breaking the previous record of 1.72 million in 2021. As the White House has prepared to reverse Trump-era Title 42 asylum policies, Texas officials have said they expect tens of thousands more waiting at the border to cross into the U.S.
But right now, border crossings are not the issue — the recent arctic blast that swept the nation is — because even as far south as Arizona and Texas, temperatures fell below freezing, leaving those migrants who could not find shelter in grave danger. And what of the migrants on the Mexico side of the border who have not crossed and even seek shelter from U.S. resources? We may never know.
The journey north from South and Central America is treacherous. Many fleeing South America must cross the Darien Gap, a massive, dense jungle bridging Colombia to Panama with marshland and peaks. In addition to that hurdle, migrants also face the dangers of criminal cartels who are in ultimate control of the corridors used by migrant guides known as “coyotes.” For those fleeing communist Cuba, many have risked starvation and drowning at sea.
This winter’s arctic blast should be a wake-up call to Biden administration officials that migrants are facing increased danger. This danger must be recognized and addressed before more innocents die as a result of neglect — or even unintended consequences.
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