During the first Republican Primary debate for the 2024 presidential election, a few topics dominated the discussion. Foreign policy, January 6th, and the candidates’ views on President Trump took center stage and resulted in some viral moments. However, an issue that directly affects the American people took a backseat: immigration.
To be fair, immigration was a topic in the debate. Fox News co-hosts Martha MacCallum and Bret Bair asked candidates about their views on cartels, narcotics, and illegal immigration at the southern border. Many of the candidates urged more funding to tackle illegal border crossings, and some argued in favor of “lethal force” to take out the cartels.
It is not difficult to point out that the southern border is overrun and illegal immigration is a problem. What the debate failed to bring up were the negative economic effects of mass immigration and the candidate’s views on amnesty. Illegal immigration is one issue, but under the Biden administration, the term itself has been completely redefined.
President Biden expanded legal immigration through “parole authority,” which allows federal officials to “authorize entry of foreigners who lack visas.” While CBS reported that Biden allowed over 500 thousand migrants into the country, the real number is around 1.4 million according to the Center for Immigration Studies. This number of parolees is based on Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) statistics and DHS disclosures.
The Biden administration brazenly abused its parole power. It circumvented Article I Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution which gives the power to “establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization” to Congress. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) gave the executive limited authority to admit eligible migrants into the country, and Democrats have weaponized the INA to leave the border wide open.
The Biden administration released a fact sheet in January detailing their “border enforcement actions.” A key part of their plan is the CBP One application, which is purported to “reduce overcrowding and wait times at U.S. ports of entry.” This app is a covert way of funneling illegal immigrants into the interior of the United States.
The irony is that while the fact sheet proclaims the Biden administration is cracking down on smuggling, the CBP app emboldens this practice. Migrants can only schedule appointments in Central America and Mexico which has incentivized them to utilize smugglers. According to Biden’s Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy, Blas Nunez-Neto, migrants are paying smugglers thousands of dollars to get to the United States. Drug cartels are becoming increasingly involved in smuggling operations “throughout the region.”
America is not alone in her fight for sovereignty. Immigration is a major issue in Europe, and there has been an upswell of nationalist sentiment in countries like Sweden and Italy. However, making pledges on the campaign trail is one thing – fulfilling those promises in office is quite another. A spider’s web of corporate lobbyists and NGOs ensnared the American government, and now that web is entangling Europe.
Italy’s ostensibly conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reversed her immigration position. As a candidate, Meloni pledged she would restrict immigration, but pressure from the corporate lobby prompted her to increase the number of migrant workers. She originally campaigned for a naval blockade to prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean. Now, her legal immigration decree allows a “total of 452,000 entries” into Italy to fill certain jobs. There are many migrants who are genuinely seeking a better life, but that does not negate a government’s responsibility to protect its own borders.
American politicians fell prey to the open borders lobby, and now our nation is suffering the repercussions. The border crisis is not only exacerbating the opioid and human trafficking crises, but the mass influx of migrants is overwhelming border patrol agents and decreasing the wages of American workers. American conservatives must not follow in Meloni’s footsteps by caving to corporate pressure, if there is to be an America at all.
Erin Van Natta
Erin is a college senior pursuing journalism and writing. She enjoys reading, art, and listening to podcasts about politics. She can be found walking her golden retriever, Gus.
The views expressed in this article are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Lone Conservative staff.
@ErinV1776