OPINION:
No, Mr. Mayorkas, the southern border is most certainly not secure, as you insisted it was earlier this week. In fact, it has been broken for decades.
Presidents come and presidents go, all with different perspectives on how to address or even ignore the matter. That said, only Congress is to blame and only Congress can fix the problem. Immigrants cross the border and immediately claim asylum based on having been oppressed in their homelands. They are given a court date on which their claim can be heard and are then released into the U.S. About 85% do not show up for that court date because they really weren’t oppressed in the first place. Had they attended their hearings, they would have been deported. So they melt into the fabric of America instead.
Our asylum system, which allows entrance prior to proof of oppression, is flawed — and our compassion is being abused. We can do better for America and for those forced to live here in secrecy, living lesser lives as “illegals.” We need to solve this problem and address legal immigration, which benefits America and those anxious to come and work in our great country.
Our congressional representatives must act, revise immigration law and stop playing partisan politics.
CHARLES EARY
Selbyville, Delaware
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