A few of my friends have accused me of just regurgitating fake news from the elite liberal press. This is in contrast to their positions gleaned from the dangerous far right media. Because I do listen to all of you, and because I have always prided myself as a person who listens to all sides, even if I think they are nuts, I wanted to do a deep dive into a couple of issues to get some actual facts.
There are currently three Republican/conservative talking points that seem to be the primary issue between myself and some of my friends.
Immigration is out of control because of the Biden open border policy.
Crime is at historic levels because of all the illegals here.
Illegals are bringing in Fentanyl, an illegal drug, which is killing millions of Americans.
Let's start with the crisis at our Southern border.
To be accurate, there is no real way to count the number of people coming into the country illegally. If they could be counted they would be captured so the numbers are just guesses if you see anything from anyone. What is provable are the number of illegals currently in the country as gathered by the federal government.
Since 1990 the number of illegals in the USA has risen from 3.5 million to around 12 million currently. This number has held fairly steady since 2010, moving from 11 -12 million, up and down by a few hundred thousand every year. This would suggest that the number of illegal crossings has remained fairly flat.
What has increased are both the capture of illegals and the number asking for asylum. In 2019 the border patrol captured 978,000 along our Southern borders. In 2020 that dropped to 500,000 but in the past two years the numbers are at record levels. 2021 - 1.7 million and 2022 2.4 million so far.
This says that the focus has shifted from separating families and sending everyone back to actually stopping them from crossing illegally. Additionally, the number of people asking for asylum has increased by 1700% in the past ten years.
Children are still being taken from their families, but only under certain circumstances. If there is an immediate health issue that needs to be addressed and if the parent has a criminal background or warrant outstanding for them.
Would a wall help slow down the numbers? Minimally say those in law enforcement. Does the border patrol have enough resources to do their job effectively? They say yes they do, especially with improved technology to help them.
So what is needed? The number one thing everyone says that is involved in this is that the Congress needs to allocate more money for immigration courts so they can get people through the system faster. They are all in agreement that this is not a Biden issue, or for that matter a Trump, Obama, or Bush issue. It is a Congress issue.
Moving on to crime and immigration.
According to law enforcement from towns and counties and states along the border, illegal immigrants are not the sole cause of crime being up. There are a number of issues, that I'm not going to get into here, that include guns, drugs, poverty, and societal issues. Illegals make up a tiny fraction of the problem. It becomes political fodder when one of them commits a particularly heinous crime but they are not any bigger of a problem than any other segment of the population. Sorry, but that is what law enforcement is saying, not me.
Finally, let's talk about Fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a prescribed drug for pain. It is routinely used by doctors and hospitals to manage the pain levels of, primarily, cancer patients, but others are using it also. It is not an illegal drug any more than Xanax or Vicodin are.
What is indisputable is that deaths associated with Fentanyl are up dramatically as more people are using it recreationally. Nearly 60,000 people died in 2021 from this drug compared to 18,000 of heroin, 17,000 from other natural opioids, and 16,000 from cocaine. When people say that Americans are dying from this drug because they don't even know they are using it, that is just not entirely true.
They are either taking it knowingly, or it is being put into other drugs they are taking as filler. If you are dying from Fentanyl it is almost always because you are a drug abuser. There are the occasional first responders who are severely hurt from Fentanyl because they accidently inhaled it while helping someone but this is a very small number.
This is how the illegal Fentanyl is coming into the country, not via illegals crossing the border. Nearly 60% of the drug is coming through the San Ysidro border checkpoint, the rest is coming in through other border crossings and through an elaborate string of underground tunnels the drug cartels have set up along the border. Fentanyl is being brought in along with heroine, cocaine, and other drugs.
So, what can be done, and who needs to fix these issues?
The universal answer, from everyone in the know, is Congress alone needs to work together to get these problems solved. They need to enact immigration laws that are fair and reasonable and allow people the opportunity to come here, legally. They need to allocate more money for immigration judges and courts to handle the growing backlog of cases that are slowing things down and pushing people to come in illegally.
And, we all need to stop speaking of these people in a negative way. They are not aliens, or criminals, or a wave of illegals, they are human beings trying to escape an unimaginable hardship in their countries so that their families can be safe and have a decent life.
I've done what I said I would do. I have looked into these issues and found the truth buried in the political rhetoric and bullshit. I hope that you will do the same so that we all have a better understanding of the real issues and answers and not just talk out of our asses on a subject.
I've used information that was available from the DEA, Homeland Security and their various offices, the FBI, and a few other government agencies. Not one of the facts listed above came from any news organization, or other independent website.